‘A collection dominated by the all-powerful figure of the mother.’ Examine
this view of The Feminine Gospels.
Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The Feminine Gospels,’ is inherently concerned with the
‘feminine,’ and the telling and celebration of women’s stories. Several of
the poems do focus on the ‘figure of the mother,’ however she is far from
being presented as ‘all-powerful.’ Instead, Duffy’s poems use typically
modernist conventions, highlighting the harsh realities of life: difficult
relationships between children and mothers, and fights and fears for
independence. Yet, Duffy also celebrates the sheer beauty of the female
experience, and the joyous moments between mothers and children.
Firstly, the poem ‘The Light Gatherer’ explores a relationship between a
mother and her child, possibly a direct reflection of Duffy’s own joy and
love surrounding her daughter Ella. ‘Light’ is used as an extended
metaphor in which to present the child as a source of joy and happiness.
Internal rhymes such as, ‘as you grew the light gathered in you,’ directly
connect the idea of light to the child. The image of growth suggests
watching a child grow and learn is a magical experience, and the joy felt
by a mother only amplifies over time. ‘Light’ is also a source of warmth
and life, crucial for human existence, perhaps suggesting that once a child
is born, no joy can compare to that which they bring, and a mother could
not envision a life without her child. This is further emphasised with the
line, ‘when language came, it glittered like a river, silver, clever with fish,’
which creates an image of the beauty of watching someone learning and
developing over time. The journey of childhood is presented as incredibly
valuable, ‘glittered’ and ‘silver’ have connotations of riches and splendour,
and the wider image of a river could imply this joy will never end. Equally,
images such as the light transferred from ‘a buttercup’ suggests the
mother knows her child will continue to bring light to the lives of all those
she meets, as she grows. Overall, ‘The Light Gatherer’ primarily explores
the relationship between the mother and child and their shared joys and
journey. The collection does not appear ‘dominated’ by the figure of the
mother’ it is instead only the second half of the collection, that Duffy shifts
her perspective inwards, presenting poems that explore her personal
experiences as a mother.
In addition, ‘the mother figure’ in The Light Gatherer is far from ‘all
powerful.’ The poem closes with a final image of the child’s departure and
steps into independence. ‘Like a jewelled cave, turquoise and diamond
and gold, opening out at the end of a tunnel of years’ implies all children
must undertake a journey to discover their individual identity, away from
mothers, yet once again this journey is presented as full of riches and
beauty, a valuable experience. This image therefore shows the role of a
this view of The Feminine Gospels.
Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The Feminine Gospels,’ is inherently concerned with the
‘feminine,’ and the telling and celebration of women’s stories. Several of
the poems do focus on the ‘figure of the mother,’ however she is far from
being presented as ‘all-powerful.’ Instead, Duffy’s poems use typically
modernist conventions, highlighting the harsh realities of life: difficult
relationships between children and mothers, and fights and fears for
independence. Yet, Duffy also celebrates the sheer beauty of the female
experience, and the joyous moments between mothers and children.
Firstly, the poem ‘The Light Gatherer’ explores a relationship between a
mother and her child, possibly a direct reflection of Duffy’s own joy and
love surrounding her daughter Ella. ‘Light’ is used as an extended
metaphor in which to present the child as a source of joy and happiness.
Internal rhymes such as, ‘as you grew the light gathered in you,’ directly
connect the idea of light to the child. The image of growth suggests
watching a child grow and learn is a magical experience, and the joy felt
by a mother only amplifies over time. ‘Light’ is also a source of warmth
and life, crucial for human existence, perhaps suggesting that once a child
is born, no joy can compare to that which they bring, and a mother could
not envision a life without her child. This is further emphasised with the
line, ‘when language came, it glittered like a river, silver, clever with fish,’
which creates an image of the beauty of watching someone learning and
developing over time. The journey of childhood is presented as incredibly
valuable, ‘glittered’ and ‘silver’ have connotations of riches and splendour,
and the wider image of a river could imply this joy will never end. Equally,
images such as the light transferred from ‘a buttercup’ suggests the
mother knows her child will continue to bring light to the lives of all those
she meets, as she grows. Overall, ‘The Light Gatherer’ primarily explores
the relationship between the mother and child and their shared joys and
journey. The collection does not appear ‘dominated’ by the figure of the
mother’ it is instead only the second half of the collection, that Duffy shifts
her perspective inwards, presenting poems that explore her personal
experiences as a mother.
In addition, ‘the mother figure’ in The Light Gatherer is far from ‘all
powerful.’ The poem closes with a final image of the child’s departure and
steps into independence. ‘Like a jewelled cave, turquoise and diamond
and gold, opening out at the end of a tunnel of years’ implies all children
must undertake a journey to discover their individual identity, away from
mothers, yet once again this journey is presented as full of riches and
beauty, a valuable experience. This image therefore shows the role of a
