Media and Mortality in The Long Queen analysis

The poem's examination of modern media's role in both immortalizing and destroying beautiful women reveals deeper truths about society's treatment of feminine power. The tragic ends of figures like Monroe and Diana demonstrate how public consumption of feminine beauty often leads to destruction.

Quote: "Till she couldn't die when she died" - This line about Marilyn Monroe captures the paradox of feminine celebrity, where media attention both preserves and destroys.

The structural progression from ancient to modern figures shows how patterns of objectification persist across time. The poem's rhythm changes, using tetrameter and trimeter with extended lines that become shorter in later sections, mirroring the increasing pressure and scrutiny faced by modern women.

The language becomes increasingly violent and invasive as the poem progresses toward contemporary figures, reflecting modern media's aggressive consumption of feminine beauty. Phrases like "History's stinking breath in her face" suggest society's failure to learn from past treatment of celebrated women.

Understanding Work in Feminine Gospels by Carol Ann Duffy

The poem "Work" from Feminine Gospels poems presents a powerful exploration of women's labor through history, particularly focusing on motherhood and domestic responsibilities. The poem employs an innovative additive structure, reminiscent of children's stories, but transforms from mundane to haunting as it progresses through different historical periods.

Definition: Dual burden refers to women's responsibility for both paid employment and unpaid domestic labor, while triple burden includes emotional labor as an additional responsibility.

In the opening stanza, Duffy establishes the indoor domestic setting, representing traditional women's roles in patriarchal society. The poem cleverly traces the historical evolution of family structures, beginning with feudalistic subsistence farming and progressing through various economic systems. The careful selection of verbs and phonological features, including heavy consonants and strategic caesuras, emphasizes the physical toll of women's work.

The poem incorporates Marxist feminist perspectives on women's labor, particularly examining how capitalism has affected women's roles. This analysis is especially relevant for Feminine Gospels A Level revision, as it connects to broader themes of female experience and social structures. The progression from primitive communism through to modern capitalism is tracked through increasingly complex layers of women's responsibilities.

Highlight: The poem uses internal rhyme (harder/larder) to emphasize the intensifying demands on women, while the pun on "reproduction" connects biological and economic production.