‘First Love’ By Maisie and Lottie

Context “Poetry, above all, is a series of intense moments - its power is not in narrative. I'm not dealing with facts, I'm dealing with emotion” Duffy captures the irony of the first love in the present moment having a looming reality which perhaps escaped the poet in the original time

Waking, with a dream of first love forming real words, Technique used- metaphor Why has Duffy described the words forming to be ‘as close to my [narrator’s] lip as lipstick’ This could suggest that her lover was touching/kissing her lips as you cannot get closer to your lips than lipstick The persona seems to feel only love and warmth towards her former lover, as her initial memory is the ‘dream of first love’ Waking, with a dream of first love forming real words, as close to my lips as lipstick, I speak your name, after a silence of years, into the pillow, and the power of your name brings me here to the window, naked, to say it again to a garden shaking with light. Technique used – Metaphor Could show excitement from Duffy as shaking could connote energy and positive memories Enjambment – enforces the strength of the word ‘power’, also highlights the word as its at the end of the line.

Images/words used to convey the pain of loss Suggests that the memory is fading as the image is described as short and fading. What could the old film playing represent? Carol Ann Duffy could be creating imagery of her past by using flash backs to show her memories through her life. This is also portrayed when the poet uses “yet I clenched my eyes” this is a visual image which implies that she tries hard to bring back her memories so she can try and re-live them. The use of “unfocused at first” shows the time gap between her now and her memories back then , therefore it takes her time to visually remember the thoughts and memories Quite naïve This was a child’s love, and yet I clenched my eyes till the pictures return, unfocused at first, then almost clear, an old film played at a slow speed. All day I will glimpse it, in the windows of changing sky, in mirrors, my lover’s eyes, wherever you are. This suggests that Duffy is no longer in contact with her lover, maybe from her lover leaving her as she still sounds very in love with her lover. Technique used- metaphor/ symbolism What could the idea of the changing sky represent? This could represent the idea of her relationship changing as she gets older, like the sky can change colour over a period of time. It could suggest there were dark sad times but there were also bright happy times.

And later a star, long dead, here, seems precisely Could signify the memory to be painful as a tear is initially thought to be negative. Metaphor Why has Duffy described the love letter to be stammering? Could represent old age as when you grow older, you become slower and frail – also could suggest the memory fading. And later a star, long dead, here, seems precisely the size of a tear. Tonight, a lover-letter out of a dream stammers itself in my heart. Such faithfulness. You smile in my head on the last evening. Unseen flowers suddenly pierce and sweeten the air. This suggests that the last time Duffy and her lover met, it was pleasant and memorable – maybe indicating that they finished on good terms Technique used- Juxtaposition Why has the poet used the contrasting words pierce and sweeten? Carol Ann Duffy has used this juxtaposition to perhaps contrast the relationship she had as she was growing up. It was both nasty and sweet at the same time like the flower piercing through the sweet air that she uses to represent this.

Structure The structure of the poem is very basic, 3 identical stanzas – maybe representing a repetitive, typical approach that Duffy may have to love. There is no rhyming scheme, which could oppose the other point and highlight the unexpected nature of love. Themes Love Memory Nostalgia Happiness