The poem = dedicated to Ella, who is Duffy’s daughter
Poem could be seen as Duffy trying to make up to Ella, after leaving her feeling
Studen as though she had lost her mother after Duffy came out as gay
ts
The cord Perhaps a metaphor for
their increasing distance
Refers to doctors, nurses and mid wives. A
metaphysical interpretation would infer
(for Ella) Extended metaphor- the cord that ‘they’ is a reference to society, the
media and cultural norms. The segregation
They cut the cord she was born with represents the connection of the connection between Duffy and her
and buried it under the tree between a mother + a child, most daughter, Ella is severed by society.
in the heart of the Great Forest notably between Duffy and her
when she was exactly the length child Ella.
of her mother's nursing elbow
to the tip of her thumb.
Feminist perspective: A female’s perspective on a rs shared by a child + a
parent. Does not consider a male point of view, but rather the parental
maternal side
Psychoanalytical Perspective: The loss of the cord could suggest something
damaged their rs (The separation of Duffy and her husband, her also
coming our as homosexual) + this the cord = lost due to this damage
The poem begins with the act of severing the ‘cord’ between Duffy and Ella. Duffy uses ‘they’, the unfamiliar
doctors being presented as separated from the cohesive family unit. On one side is ‘she’ and Duffy herself, the
other is characterized by the outside world, the doctors being a part of this. The fact that it is ‘they’ who ‘cut
the cord’ indicates external forces separating mother and daughter, this being extrapolated into Ella wanting
to leave home later in the poem.
The brutality of this first image is furthered through the consonance of /c/ across ‘cut the cord’, the harsh
sound penetrating the verse to rally the depiction of the severing of their physical connection.
Duffy applies personification to the ‘Great Forest’, the first element of mythical language being employed here.
In doing this, Duffy presents the idea that she chose to bury the cord somewhere important, furthering the
suggestion that she cares deeply for Ella, wanting even the first point of connection to be honored. There is
something poetic about returning to nature, Duffy furthering this idea later in the poem with images of ‘birds’
and ‘stars’ leading Ella.
Duffy implies that Ella = growing up. This
suggests a chronological narrative which
details the growth of Ella + the distancing of
their ‘connection’ Links to ‘Tall’ as once she gets her wish she gains an identity she is
comfortable with. She manages to find happiness in this, but this happiness
quickly disintegrates + becomes hindrance. Similarly, in ‘The Cord’ the cord
She learned to speak and asked them, becomes a hindrance to her because she becomes fixated on it, constantly
though she was young yet, asking about its whereabouts. As a result, she is willing to do anything to
what the cord had looked like - find it.
had a princess spun it
from a golden spinning wheel?
Could the cord be silver? Was it real?
The second and third stanzas further employ the semantics of mythically. Duffy suggests Ella’s young age by
using these semantics, images of ‘princess’ and ‘holden spinning wheel’ playing into the narrative of fairytales,
Studen
ts
, Studen
ts
something Ella would have been familiar with considering her age. The triple repetition of a question, ‘wheel?’,
‘silver?’, ‘real?’ further the elusive nature of the cord – the object that represents their connection taking on
mythical proportions.
Connotes an everlasting connection. However, it contrasts with the
Real enough and hidden loss of the umbilical cord which leads the reader to question
in the roots of an ancient oak, whether the connection really existed in first place
the tangled knot of a riddle
or the weird ribbon of a gift
in a poke. As she grew, she asked again
if the cord was made of rope,
The image of it ‘hidden/in the roots of an ancient oak’ creates the sense that Duffy is narrating a fairy tale to
Ella, creating a story that she can actively take part in and enjoy. This is a beautiful image, with the poet clearly
showing the love she holds for her daughter through the spinning of this narrative.
Ella’s changing perception of the ‘cord’ demonstrates her own aging. At first, it doesn’t seem real at all. Yet, by
this third stanza, she assumes that it ‘was made of rope’, deciding on the material value of the cord. After
deciding that it is real, Ella then begins to plan to go and find it.
Enjambment, lack of punctuation and a hidden rhyme
they stared from the house she lived in
suggests the child’s innocence and how the poem itself acts
across the fields to the woods
as if it were written by a child.
where rooks spread their pages of wings
like black unreadable books
and the wind in the grass This = the harsh reality of growing up
scribbled sentences wherever she looked. The child within poem = ultimately alone in her journey to search for
her identity and her true belonging
Symbolic of ‘forging her own path’ through life
The use of the verb ‘stared’ suggests the length at which Ella begins to obsess over the ‘cord’. She is sure it is
real, looking out over the forest and dreaming of finding it. The image of the ‘rooks…like black unreadable
books’ could show that she is still young, not totally understanding how the world works. This immaturity is
what drives her to explore further, embracing nature and ‘following a bird’ into the forest.
The possessive pronoun “her” shows ownership and her possession
So she went on foot to the forest over what is hers/her identity.
and pressed her ear to the ground,
but not a sound or movement,
not a breath or a word
gave her a hint where she could go
to hunt for her cord. She went deeper
Duffy uses enjambment within stanza five to reflect Ella’s ‘hunt for her cord’. The ownership of ‘her cord’
suggests that Ella has taken the symbol upon herself, seeking the original thing that connected her to her
Studen
ts
Poem could be seen as Duffy trying to make up to Ella, after leaving her feeling
Studen as though she had lost her mother after Duffy came out as gay
ts
The cord Perhaps a metaphor for
their increasing distance
Refers to doctors, nurses and mid wives. A
metaphysical interpretation would infer
(for Ella) Extended metaphor- the cord that ‘they’ is a reference to society, the
media and cultural norms. The segregation
They cut the cord she was born with represents the connection of the connection between Duffy and her
and buried it under the tree between a mother + a child, most daughter, Ella is severed by society.
in the heart of the Great Forest notably between Duffy and her
when she was exactly the length child Ella.
of her mother's nursing elbow
to the tip of her thumb.
Feminist perspective: A female’s perspective on a rs shared by a child + a
parent. Does not consider a male point of view, but rather the parental
maternal side
Psychoanalytical Perspective: The loss of the cord could suggest something
damaged their rs (The separation of Duffy and her husband, her also
coming our as homosexual) + this the cord = lost due to this damage
The poem begins with the act of severing the ‘cord’ between Duffy and Ella. Duffy uses ‘they’, the unfamiliar
doctors being presented as separated from the cohesive family unit. On one side is ‘she’ and Duffy herself, the
other is characterized by the outside world, the doctors being a part of this. The fact that it is ‘they’ who ‘cut
the cord’ indicates external forces separating mother and daughter, this being extrapolated into Ella wanting
to leave home later in the poem.
The brutality of this first image is furthered through the consonance of /c/ across ‘cut the cord’, the harsh
sound penetrating the verse to rally the depiction of the severing of their physical connection.
Duffy applies personification to the ‘Great Forest’, the first element of mythical language being employed here.
In doing this, Duffy presents the idea that she chose to bury the cord somewhere important, furthering the
suggestion that she cares deeply for Ella, wanting even the first point of connection to be honored. There is
something poetic about returning to nature, Duffy furthering this idea later in the poem with images of ‘birds’
and ‘stars’ leading Ella.
Duffy implies that Ella = growing up. This
suggests a chronological narrative which
details the growth of Ella + the distancing of
their ‘connection’ Links to ‘Tall’ as once she gets her wish she gains an identity she is
comfortable with. She manages to find happiness in this, but this happiness
quickly disintegrates + becomes hindrance. Similarly, in ‘The Cord’ the cord
She learned to speak and asked them, becomes a hindrance to her because she becomes fixated on it, constantly
though she was young yet, asking about its whereabouts. As a result, she is willing to do anything to
what the cord had looked like - find it.
had a princess spun it
from a golden spinning wheel?
Could the cord be silver? Was it real?
The second and third stanzas further employ the semantics of mythically. Duffy suggests Ella’s young age by
using these semantics, images of ‘princess’ and ‘holden spinning wheel’ playing into the narrative of fairytales,
Studen
ts
, Studen
ts
something Ella would have been familiar with considering her age. The triple repetition of a question, ‘wheel?’,
‘silver?’, ‘real?’ further the elusive nature of the cord – the object that represents their connection taking on
mythical proportions.
Connotes an everlasting connection. However, it contrasts with the
Real enough and hidden loss of the umbilical cord which leads the reader to question
in the roots of an ancient oak, whether the connection really existed in first place
the tangled knot of a riddle
or the weird ribbon of a gift
in a poke. As she grew, she asked again
if the cord was made of rope,
The image of it ‘hidden/in the roots of an ancient oak’ creates the sense that Duffy is narrating a fairy tale to
Ella, creating a story that she can actively take part in and enjoy. This is a beautiful image, with the poet clearly
showing the love she holds for her daughter through the spinning of this narrative.
Ella’s changing perception of the ‘cord’ demonstrates her own aging. At first, it doesn’t seem real at all. Yet, by
this third stanza, she assumes that it ‘was made of rope’, deciding on the material value of the cord. After
deciding that it is real, Ella then begins to plan to go and find it.
Enjambment, lack of punctuation and a hidden rhyme
they stared from the house she lived in
suggests the child’s innocence and how the poem itself acts
across the fields to the woods
as if it were written by a child.
where rooks spread their pages of wings
like black unreadable books
and the wind in the grass This = the harsh reality of growing up
scribbled sentences wherever she looked. The child within poem = ultimately alone in her journey to search for
her identity and her true belonging
Symbolic of ‘forging her own path’ through life
The use of the verb ‘stared’ suggests the length at which Ella begins to obsess over the ‘cord’. She is sure it is
real, looking out over the forest and dreaming of finding it. The image of the ‘rooks…like black unreadable
books’ could show that she is still young, not totally understanding how the world works. This immaturity is
what drives her to explore further, embracing nature and ‘following a bird’ into the forest.
The possessive pronoun “her” shows ownership and her possession
So she went on foot to the forest over what is hers/her identity.
and pressed her ear to the ground,
but not a sound or movement,
not a breath or a word
gave her a hint where she could go
to hunt for her cord. She went deeper
Duffy uses enjambment within stanza five to reflect Ella’s ‘hunt for her cord’. The ownership of ‘her cord’
suggests that Ella has taken the symbol upon herself, seeking the original thing that connected her to her
Studen
ts
