Analysing Rapture: Swing, Rain, Absence and If I Was Dead

(WEDNESDAY, 19 MAY 2010)


Swing
Swing makes references to childhood memories and youth in general, just as the idea of their love is shown as being both young literally, in that is has just begun, and somewhat childish. The image of the two characters walking side-by-side along the river to a swing hanging from a tree branch conveys a sense of childish delight in their relationship. However, the youthful imagery is juxtaposed by the mention of weddings, commitment and certainty. As marriage is something that conforms to the traditional, patriarchal society, this could be the speaker revealing that they want a 'normal' relationship, by society's standards as, from a religious standpoint, sex is sinful unless two people are married. However, since the poem was written in the 21st century, and pre-marital sex is more accepted, as are homosexual relationships, the poem could be a comment on the way in which marriage and sex is viewed in a more modern context. Overall, the juxtaposition of a childish image and marriage may indicate a sense of immature optimism, that it is foolish for the speaker to think of marriage so early in a relationship. Although the characters do not have definitive genders, this poem makes the speaker seem very feminine, as it is a typical characteristic of a little girl to dream of one's wedding day.


Rain
Rain is an intensely passionate poem, with Duffy making great use of passionate imagery, using words like 'hot', 'burned', 'flame', 'burned' and 'sun', and changing to cooler, water imagery in the last two stanzas to signify relief, of either an emotional or sexual nature. The poem expresses great desire and loneliness, and perhaps even anger and pain, which the fire imagery could also indicate. In this poem, sex is presented as being passionate and also natural and comforting, as Duffy uses warm imagery such as 'orange', 'rose' and 'sun', perhaps implying that all love is natural, regardless of gender, or whether or not they are married.


Absence
The structure of Absence appears broken and incomplete, with only two lines to each stanza, the second line of which is shorter than the first, making it seem unfinished. Each stanza begins with 'Then', implying a sense of routine; perhaps the speaker feels as though their life is fixed and uninteresting when the lover is not there. This is also shown by the way in which the poem seems to span an entire day, starting at "the birds stitching the dawn with their song" and ending at "the stars between us", showing the speaker's entire day without the lover. The poem also brings back the recurring theme of obsession, as the poet sees the lover in everything around them. In this poem, it is implied that both the speaker and the lover are women, as there are very few male phallic symbols used, but there is yonic symbolism such as "a bee in a rose", "your opening hand", "the fruit from the cherry tree" and "the sun", implying a lesbian relationship, which the reader could infer, as the poet Carol Ann Duffy is a lesbian herself.


If I Was Dead
There is a great deal of religious references in If I Was Dead, beginning with the main message of the poem, which speaks of the story of Lazarus being resurrected by Jesus, with the speaker referring to themselves as Lazarus and the lover as Jesus, comparing the lover to a god and therefore putting them on a pedestal. The poem also conveys despair and solitude, with Duffy using imagery that denote one being carelessly abandoned and forgotten, such as "my bones adrift like dropped oars", "my skull... on the dark ocean bed" and "my eyes... at the roots of flowers". The idea that the speaker feels alone and unloved further indicates unbalance in the relationship as, despite these feelings, the speaker still compares the lover to Jesus, claiming that "your love would raise me out of my grave". Also the fact that the poem is one long sentence shows the focus on one single thought, as opposed to each stanza exploring a different theme or idea. This use of enjambment throughout the poem suggests a long passage of time, perhaps indicating a long period of separation, thus explaining the feeling of being alone.