IndexIntroductionCarol Ann Duffy "The World's Wife": Analysis of the Poems"Little Red Riding Hood""The Devil's Wife"Anne Hathaway"ConclusionReferencesIntroductionCarol Ann Duffy wrote "The World's Wife" to carefully examine the representation of men and women, drawing on its strong feminist views, reconstructing, for example, many of the "voiceless women" throughout history. As Duffy expressed it; the oyster is a creative irritant. Every poem I try to reveal a truth, so it cannot have an imaginary beginning.' His goal was to show that oppression within society towards the sexes is a constant battle and presents these views through the use of traditional fairy tale events. Duffy challenges notions regarding the representation of women in literature; through this project, he subverts traditional stereotypes and representations of both genders, as shown in the poems "Little Red Riding Hood", "The devil's wife" and "Anne Hathaway". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayCarol Ann Duffy "The World's Wife": Analysis of the "Little Red Riding Hood" PoemsWith each of her creations, Duffy successfully addresses traditional representations of men and women, particularly as she showcases many often misrepresented women within literature , describing them as new powerful and prevalent. For example, in the poem “Little Red Riding Hood,” inspired by the traditional fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” the narrator initiates danger to herself while “making sure he noticed me.” This move denotes a sense of dominance, as it may expose his vulnerability; however, the term "secure" implies that she intends to be noticed, attracting the wolf to her and thus subjecting herself to potential danger. The reader gains a sense of power from the narrative, as the narrator controls the predicted events and establishes his intellect, supported by “I knew he would lead me deep into the woods,” deeply subverting the ignorant character of the fairy tale. Normally, Little Red Riding Hood is naive and requires a classically robust male character to defend her. 'Little Red Riding Hood' also 'examines the power relations that exist in lyrics and in life'. In this poem, the narrator returns – "out of the forest I come with my flowers, singing, all alone" – signaling that the narrator is happier "all alone" and without a male figure in his life, as he is "singing" as result of his empowerment. Compare this to "The Devil's Wife", which ends with "When the Morning Comes", which reflects a metaphor of moral enlightenment without a man. Such strategies could be considered effective in representing Duffy's feminist views, as she subverts the traditional portrayal of women and makes the other figures in these narratives relatively unimportant. Therefore, for a feminist reader, the poem illustrates men as unimportant to a woman's success , as just "one blow" kills the Wolf, once again conveying that she is superior to the Wolf and his abilities, challenging the portrayal of men and women. Duffy intentionally modifies the result to represent the literal assumption that women are happier without men, inspired by her personal life which is, in fact, jubilant without a man. “The Devil’s Wife” “The Devil’s Wife” delves into female supremacy as it assumes men and women must be “socially constructed as different.” The speaker is presented as having a "stone tongue", creating unfavorable images of the serpent butalso connecting to the context of the poem: how Myra Hindley adapted her language to appeal to children. However, it could be argued that the lover is poisonous to Myra as he "made her bury a doll"; the word “fact” suggests that he had no choice in the action, as if a human had no choice in reaction to a poisonous snake bite. Furthermore, there is a shift in power, since "he made me", shows a victimized and typically "shy" woman, implying that the sexes are "socially constructed as different" as males are believed to prevail over women. females. This perception can also be established when she recalls that her lover had "held my heart in his fist and squeezed it", illustrating the perception that Ian Brady has possession over Hindley physically and emotionally. Apparently, it is more difficult for society to accept a demonic female than to accept a male one. This may be because women are expected to have more maternal instincts than their male counterparts; the events would therefore be seen as more barbaric if a woman was involved. Despite such apparent biases, the collection at other times does not "shift its focus from attacking male versions", as many of Duffy's poems portray men in a negative light, since men are mostly the subjects of “ female language". Carol Ann Duffy regularly degrades men into weak, voiceless characters, as seen in "Standing Female Nude" (1985), where the "little man" and the phrase "they tell me he's a genius" indicate that men are rather underdeveloped. Men are constantly slut-shamed in “The World’s Wife”: “chimpanzee,” “he whored off,” and other slurs. Therefore, in her attempt to restore the traditional representation of men and women in a more equal way, perhaps Duffy has gone too far with her prejudices. Therefore it can be argued that she creates a modern and systematic way of pigeonholing genres, precisely according to a non-traditional system.'Anne Hathaway'Yet there are also more harmonious representations. “Anne Hathaway” is presented in sonnet form, with a standard structure of fourteen lines. Duffy convincingly voices the voice of a wife in love, who can be found in the shadow of Shakespeare as she realistically explores the love between the couple. The poem as a whole is a metaphor for the couple's lovemaking and compares it to the art of poetry, which Shakespeare explored in his written works. The poem "successfully challenges the representation of women as 'other' in literature": while celebrating the love between the couple, each partner is presented in a lucidly generous manner. The use of alliteration, for example, "Living laughing love" presents a positive description of the husband, suggesting a respectful and honoring perspective of him. This also implies the abundant nature of the couple's love as the alliteration aids the sensual essence of the poem, showing Duffy's successful restoration of an equal view towards men and women. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Ultimately, Duffy provides a considerable number of distinct feminist visions aimed at challenging the perception of men and women. However, some of its success may be questionable, especially on the question of whether it fully creates humanistic representations or whether it simply creates a modern adaptation of traditional stereotypes. However, at the very least, his collection leads to a personal reflection on the treatment of genders in contemporary society, and is therefore a successful attempt to challenge "traditional representations of men and women". References Mhana, Z., Talif,4)