Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy

CONTEXT

This is a poem addressed to the speaker’s mother. The speaker is looking at a photograph of her mother and blending her own childhood memories of her with the life she imagines her mother had before she was born. The poem shifts tone to one of regret as Duffy reflects on the sacrifices her mother must have made when she was born to accommodate her in her life.

author

  • Born in 1995

  • Scottish poet

  • Raised Roman Catholic

  • Born in Glasgow

Duffy’s mother died in 2005, around a decade after this poem was written.

She was raised in the 1950s by her parents as a Roman Catholic. Which helps to explain the religious references within her work. The poem explores the strong conventions of society women were expected to adhere to during the 1950s, such as to remain at home, not work, and raise their children.

KEY THEMES

  • sacrifice

  • childhood

  • aging

  • admiration

  • close connection

  • possessive

  • regret

FORM & STRUCTURE

dramatic monologue?

A normal dramatic monologue is fictional, where the poet takes on a new persona. The poem follows this except the part that is fictional, this is a true story and not completely dramatic monologue.

controlled structure

the poem has a very controlled structure with every stanza having 5 lines. This could be used to reflect the controlling and possessive nature of Ann Duffy. Or how her mother was controlled to be a certain way by 1950s standards with also being Roman Catholic there was a certain way she had to behave.

repetition

In the first stanza it has the mention of a pavement and in the last stanza it notes that she’s on the ‘wrong pavement’. This use of repetition could imply how Ann Duffy views her moms lifestyle change as the wrong one, and that she should be free and having fun still like when she was younger when she wasn’t a mother.

There is also repetition with the title ‘Before You Were Mine’ and the last 4 words of the poem ‘Before you were mine’. This makes the poem have a cyclical look to portray the inevitable end of a mothers lifestyle, how becoming a mom involves a certain sacrifice of your old life into a new one.

LANGUAGE & IMAGERY

sweetheart?

here is an example of role reversal with the daughter questioning the mom about where she got those ‘love bites’. the word sweetheart to address her is very informal which displays their very close relationship.

relics

the word creates a sort of ancient look towards her mother’s red shoes, also with describing her as a ‘ghost’. these two terms create the idea that her Moms old life is dead or distant. Nothing but a memory with relics and old photos to look at.