Essay IV: last, but not least!
Letztes Erstsemester-Essay *schnüff*. Wie gewohnt wird das hier wieder Sicherheitskopie sicherstellend reingestellt. Aber könnte nicht mal jemand was dazu kommentieren? Sowas wie: "Boa, das ist vielleicht klug und kompetent argumentiert" oder "Mensch, dein Wortschatz ist sehr differenziert und vor allem auch sehr passend", von mir aus darf mensch natürlich auch sowas schreiben wie "Gott, hast du einen beschränkten Wortstand! So beschränkt, wie du selbst, du Niete!"
A two-sided mind – Form, structure and language in Carol Ann Duffy’s “Human Interest”
Composition II
856 words
Writings Skills with F. Morrissey and S. Hicks
Wednesday Group
31st January, 2007
Sandro Ilg
Matrikelnr.: 06-111-637
Moritzweg 7
3006 Bern
teppichkind@students.unibe.ch
In Carol Ann Duffy’s “Human Interest” the narrator tells the reader about how he had killed his ex-girlfriend. The poem shows us the narrator in a bilateral situation. On the one hand he is full of rage and hatred for his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal, “She stank of deceit.” (line 7), but on the other hand he is full of “grief” (line 13) and love for the woman he had killed. This two-sided mind of the narrator is shown in the poem’s form and structure, as well as in its language.
The poem’s form reminds the reader of the Petrarch Sonnet. Although the rhyming fits this definition, the line breaking is not accurate. “Typically [in the Petrarch Sonnet], the ninth line forms the volta (or “turn”), which signals a change in tone or theme.” (from a handout about the sonnet from the lingM1 course with Matt Kimmich) And as the Petrarch Sonnet usually has twice an octave, followed by twice a sestet, the turn traditionally begins with the third stanza. This is where the reader finds a break with the Petrarch Sonnet’s conventional form. The second stanza has not the traditional four lines, but three, which also breaks apart the rhyming scheme, as the first line of the third stanza now rhymes with the second stanza. As there is a break with the length of the stanzas, the volta might be misplaced, but remains in the poem, as the eight line now functions as a signal for a turn in theme. The break in this poem is made between “She stank of deceit.” (line 7) and “I loved her.” (line 8), which shows exactly how the two feelings of love and hatred co-exist in the narrators mind and this mind is as torn apart as the form of the second stanza.. The break with the Petrarch Sonnet’s classic form, the break in the second stanza, is an indication for the break in the narrator’s mind.
The structure of the poem again represents the narrator’s two-sided mind. The story is not told in a coherent way, but the narrator tells it in sequences as he moves from the presence to the past and finally moves back to his present state again. The narrator begins from his present state in prison, moves then back to the deed itself and after explaining the past situation that made him kill her, he goes back to his feelings in present time, he shifts forth and back in time. Again, the outer form indicates the narrator’s inner feelings. He understands and sees his present state, which is disrupted by the past that forces his way back into his mind, hence the shifting back in time from the presence, to the killing and finally to the later state of the relationship, before he is forced back to his present state again. This shows also that the narrator cannot let go of what happened. Whilst describing the killing and her betrayal with passionate hatred, he also clearly states his love to her and his grief over what he has done. He does not believe that he could do something like it ever again and killing her clearly happened in a moment of rage, because he “wouldn’t harm a fly, no joke.” (line 14). The incoherence in the poem’s structure is another indication for the narrator’s bilateral mind.
Furthermore, the language of the poem supports my statement of two sidedness throughout the poem. As the title “Human Interest” could be interpreted in many ways which may indicate the expression of different themes in the poem, I willingly leave it out of my argumentation as it does not support my argument in a relevant way. In the beginning of the poem there is an everyday usage of words, but as the narrator goes on to his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal, his language becomes more vulgar. The quotes “I slogged my guts out for her.” (line 5) and “She stank of deceit.” (line 7) clearly show that the narrator was in a state of rage and now that he remembers her betrayal, when “[s]he used to meet / some prick after work” (lines 6 and 7) , the rage comes back again. After that, there is a sudden stop of this usage of vulgar words, he is reminded of his love to her and his language looses the vulgarity. In the end, we have a soft, tender term “My baby.” (line 13) that collides with another example of his vulgar language: “tart” (line 13). This again is an example of how the narrator’s mind is two-sided, divided into rage and love. An bilateral effect that is made through the contrast between everyday, moderate language and vulgar expressions, showing once more the narrator’s two-sided mind.
Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Human Interest” deals with the two sidedness of the narrator’s mind. Throughout the story, the narrator’s bilateral mind is shown, as it is torn apart by hatred and love. The two sidedness of the narrator’s mind is represented in his broken form, incoherent structure and the usage of contrasting language.
Human Interest
Fifteen years minimum, banged up inside 1
for what took thirty seconds to complete.
She turned away. I stabbed. I felt this heat
burn through my skull until reason had died.
I slogged my guts out for her. She lied 5
when I knew different. She used to meet
some prick after work. She stank of deceit.
I loved her. When I accused her she cried
and denied it. Straight up, she tore me apart.
On the Monday, I found the other bloke 10
had bought her a chain with a silver heart.
When I think about her now, I near choke
with grief. My baby. She wasn’t a tart
or nothing. I wouldn’t harm a fly, no joke.
Carol Ann Duffy
A two-sided mind – Form, structure and language in Carol Ann Duffy’s “Human Interest”
Composition II
856 words
Writings Skills with F. Morrissey and S. Hicks
Wednesday Group
31st January, 2007
Sandro Ilg
Matrikelnr.: 06-111-637
Moritzweg 7
3006 Bern
teppichkind@students.unibe.ch
In Carol Ann Duffy’s “Human Interest” the narrator tells the reader about how he had killed his ex-girlfriend. The poem shows us the narrator in a bilateral situation. On the one hand he is full of rage and hatred for his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal, “She stank of deceit.” (line 7), but on the other hand he is full of “grief” (line 13) and love for the woman he had killed. This two-sided mind of the narrator is shown in the poem’s form and structure, as well as in its language.
The poem’s form reminds the reader of the Petrarch Sonnet. Although the rhyming fits this definition, the line breaking is not accurate. “Typically [in the Petrarch Sonnet], the ninth line forms the volta (or “turn”), which signals a change in tone or theme.” (from a handout about the sonnet from the lingM1 course with Matt Kimmich) And as the Petrarch Sonnet usually has twice an octave, followed by twice a sestet, the turn traditionally begins with the third stanza. This is where the reader finds a break with the Petrarch Sonnet’s conventional form. The second stanza has not the traditional four lines, but three, which also breaks apart the rhyming scheme, as the first line of the third stanza now rhymes with the second stanza. As there is a break with the length of the stanzas, the volta might be misplaced, but remains in the poem, as the eight line now functions as a signal for a turn in theme. The break in this poem is made between “She stank of deceit.” (line 7) and “I loved her.” (line 8), which shows exactly how the two feelings of love and hatred co-exist in the narrators mind and this mind is as torn apart as the form of the second stanza.. The break with the Petrarch Sonnet’s classic form, the break in the second stanza, is an indication for the break in the narrator’s mind.
The structure of the poem again represents the narrator’s two-sided mind. The story is not told in a coherent way, but the narrator tells it in sequences as he moves from the presence to the past and finally moves back to his present state again. The narrator begins from his present state in prison, moves then back to the deed itself and after explaining the past situation that made him kill her, he goes back to his feelings in present time, he shifts forth and back in time. Again, the outer form indicates the narrator’s inner feelings. He understands and sees his present state, which is disrupted by the past that forces his way back into his mind, hence the shifting back in time from the presence, to the killing and finally to the later state of the relationship, before he is forced back to his present state again. This shows also that the narrator cannot let go of what happened. Whilst describing the killing and her betrayal with passionate hatred, he also clearly states his love to her and his grief over what he has done. He does not believe that he could do something like it ever again and killing her clearly happened in a moment of rage, because he “wouldn’t harm a fly, no joke.” (line 14). The incoherence in the poem’s structure is another indication for the narrator’s bilateral mind.
Furthermore, the language of the poem supports my statement of two sidedness throughout the poem. As the title “Human Interest” could be interpreted in many ways which may indicate the expression of different themes in the poem, I willingly leave it out of my argumentation as it does not support my argument in a relevant way. In the beginning of the poem there is an everyday usage of words, but as the narrator goes on to his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal, his language becomes more vulgar. The quotes “I slogged my guts out for her.” (line 5) and “She stank of deceit.” (line 7) clearly show that the narrator was in a state of rage and now that he remembers her betrayal, when “[s]he used to meet / some prick after work” (lines 6 and 7) , the rage comes back again. After that, there is a sudden stop of this usage of vulgar words, he is reminded of his love to her and his language looses the vulgarity. In the end, we have a soft, tender term “My baby.” (line 13) that collides with another example of his vulgar language: “tart” (line 13). This again is an example of how the narrator’s mind is two-sided, divided into rage and love. An bilateral effect that is made through the contrast between everyday, moderate language and vulgar expressions, showing once more the narrator’s two-sided mind.
Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Human Interest” deals with the two sidedness of the narrator’s mind. Throughout the story, the narrator’s bilateral mind is shown, as it is torn apart by hatred and love. The two sidedness of the narrator’s mind is represented in his broken form, incoherent structure and the usage of contrasting language.
Human Interest
Fifteen years minimum, banged up inside 1
for what took thirty seconds to complete.
She turned away. I stabbed. I felt this heat
burn through my skull until reason had died.
I slogged my guts out for her. She lied 5
when I knew different. She used to meet
some prick after work. She stank of deceit.
I loved her. When I accused her she cried
and denied it. Straight up, she tore me apart.
On the Monday, I found the other bloke 10
had bought her a chain with a silver heart.
When I think about her now, I near choke
with grief. My baby. She wasn’t a tart
or nothing. I wouldn’t harm a fly, no joke.
Carol Ann Duffy
strandi - 31. Jan, 00:23
Selber tschuld
Sie wollen eine Rückmeldung? Wirklich? Aber ganz sicher?
[Wissen Sie, ich bin da jeweils ganz unverblümt]
Ich bin nicht so vermessen, etwas über die im Essay erwähnten Ideen eine Wertung jeglicher Art abzugeben.
Was die Sprache hingegen anbelangt, so finde ich sie nicht aussergewöhnlich. Weder in die eine noch in die andere Richtung. Naja, also ganz ehrlich vielleicht schon ein kleiner Kritikpunkt: Für ein Essay ist mir die sprachliche Struktur beinahe etwas zu simpel gestrickt. Sie verstehen?
I
Mlle Diff - gerne auch mal interdisziplinär unterwegs.
Merci