1. Close
By Carol Ann Duffy

2. Starter
Write down the definitions of close and close

3. The Title: 'Close'
Close as a verb: move so as to cover an opening (e.g. "Close the door") or to come to an end  
This alludes to the first line of the poem 'Lock the door,' portraying concealment, importance and privacy.
Close as an adjective: only a short distance away or apart in space or time.
'But you move in close till I shake' suggests the idea of being physically and emotionally close to someone.

4. Close - Structure No rhyme Made up of 5 even stanzas
Lock the door. In the dark journey of our night two childhoods stand in the corner of the bedroom watching the way we take each other to bits to stare at our heart. I hear a story told in sleep in a lost accent. You know the words.
Undress. A suitcase crammed with secrets bursts in the wardrobe at the foot of the bed. Dress again. Undress. You have me like a drawing, erased, coloured in, untitled, signed by your tongue. The name of a country written in red on my palm,
Unreadable. I tell myself where I live now, but you move in close till I shake, homeless, further than that. A coin falls from the bedside table, spinning its heads and tails. How the hell can I win. How can I lose. Tell me again.
Love won’t give in. It makes a hired room tremble with the pity of bells, a cigarette smoke itself next to a full glass of wine, time ache into space, space, wants no more talk. Now it has me where I want me, now you, you do.
Put out the light. Years stand outside on the street looking up to an open window, black as our mouth which utters its tuneless song. The ghosts of ourselves, behind and before us, throng in a mirror, blind, laughing and weeping. They know who we are.
No rhyme
Made up of 5 even stanzas
Short sentence/ sentence fragment at the beginning of each stanza, almost introducing the subject of each section. Equally, with them being imperatives, it emits a feeling of urgency. But also a picture that the relationship is perhaps forced and troubled.
Rhythm is broken up by comma's, caesura's and end stopped lines, which could reflect the obstacles in a relationship or life itself. This creates a confused, disjointed tone

5. Motif of Rooms and Houses

6. Motif of Rooms and Houses
'a hired room'
'wardrobe'
'open window'
'bedroom'
'suitcase'
'where I live now'
'bedside table'
They all link into the theme of stability and support. And they can all conceal and maintain privacy and secrets.

7. The adjective 'dark' has macabre connotations of fear and concealment, whilst also applying to the semantic field of chiaroscuro (Light/dark). Which works in cohesion with the reflective abstract noun 'journey' suggesting that their relationship has come to an end.
The adjective 'lost' implies once had but now, gone and that the speakers are their former selves as children. Additionally, the sibilants in this sentence are mimetic of sleeping, which could emphasize that this relationship was a childhood dream but the truth is that it isn't perfect or working.
'Stare at our heart' could introduce the idea of trying to strip down the complications formed by the relationship to reveal the truth.
Lock the door. In the dark journey of our night two childhoods stand in the corner of the bedroom watching the way we take each other to bits to stare at our heart. I hear a story told in sleep in a lost accent. You know the words.
The collective pronoun 'our' indicates a relationship and a shared experience. Similarly, the personal pronoun 'you' highlights that this is a personal subject and as if the poet is speaking directly to both the audience and her partner.
Imperative, simple sentence to begin, firstly relates to the title of the poem but also indicated entrapment and imprisonment, perhaps within their relationship. It, equally lets us and the 'partner' know that this is critically important and confidential.
The personification of their 'childhoods' which watch them 'take each other to bits,' juxtaposing their former innocence and their now savage hostility, elongated by the enjambment after 'bits.'

8. Phonological parallelism in the minor imperative sentence 'undress' reinforces that the narrator is trying to strip down to the truth about herself and relationship. 'Dress again. Undress' indicates her confusion but also that she could feel intimidated and dominated by someone. However, this minor imperative sentence in cohesion with 'signed by your tongue' implies that the physical closeness of the relationship still exists. Also, the line is end stopped which could reveal a definition and permanence to the sign.
The action of the 'secrets' bursting out of the suitcase is reinforced by the enjambment, which is mimetic of the secrets almost 'spilling out.' This could reference their building worries and fears unravelling, thus the suitcase could be a metaphor for their possibly 'false' relationship.
'You have me' - direct address
Undress. A suitcase crammed with secrets bursts in the wardrobe at the foot of the bed. Dress again. Undress. You have me like a drawing, erased, coloured in, untitled, signed by your tongue. The name of a country written in red on my palm,
The simile 'like a drawing' could convey the theme of control, reinforced by the triplet 'erased, coloured in, untitled.' The triplet indicates editing, possibly the idea of the relationship not being perfect.
The colour 'red' connotes anger, danger, love, lust etc. This sentence suggests a clarity to the truth or feelings due to the definite article 'The.'
Country is one of the most important and clearly identifiable symbols of one’s identity, which could imply that she's beginning to find herself and reveal her true, personal identity.

9. 'Unreadable. I tell myself where I live now, …” This is becoming crystal clear to her now. 'I tell myself' portrays that she's trying to convince herself and get a grip on the truth.
The metaphorical description of her persona as 'homeless' indicates that she's lost a sense of stability and security that the relationship used to provide. But also ties in with the theme of honesty as it provides the image of being stripped down to her naked self, in relation to her emotions and personal feelings
Unreadable. I tell myself where I live now, but you move in close till I shake, homeless, further than that. A coin falls from the bedside table, spinning its heads and tails. How the hell can I win. How can I lose. Tell me again.
“I tell myself where I live now, but you move in close till I shake, homeless, further than that.” She attempts to define herself, but the other steps in, and everything completely unravels, to the point of making her feel ridiculous and helpless. The use of the verb 'shake' conveys the emotional distress felt by the narrator.

10. Firstly, it works iIn relation to the motif of secrecy and concealment.
'Cigarette smoke' is also damaging to health, which could be a metaphor for love being destructive to their well-being.
This stanza uses imagery to describe the power of love. For example, 'it makes a hired room tremble with the pity of bells.' The verb 'tremble' in cohesion with the personification reflects the dominating effects love has. Equally the synaesthesia in 'the pity of bells' includes the abstract noun 'pity' which juxtaposes to 'bells,' which has connotation of marriage.
Love won’t give in. It makes a hired room tremble with the pity of bells, a cigarette smoke itself next to a full glass of wine, time ache into space, space, wants no more talk. Now it has me where I want me, now you, you do.
'You' 'me' 'itself' - pronouns
She describes love as making 'time ache into space, space,' which firstly defines the power of love and the time they invested into their relationship together. However, also, gives the impression that she's helpless because she's in love. Duffy then says 'wants no more talk' summarising that it's either time to take action or remain silent. This idea of time aching is reinforced by the enjambment and space could relate to reality.
This final message of the penultimate stanza is cryptic. She says space has her where “I want me” and this is like a poetic paradoxical phrase. Although she wants to be there in this relationship, she also does not want to be there, given the outcome of it all. The last two words, “you do”, means you have me where you want me or could be translated into 'you win.'

11. There's an implication that the past was a happier time, providing an antithesis with the bleakness and tension of their current relationship. The 'years' are personified as standing looking on pityingly at the way the relationship has changed, portraying that maybe time has changed them. Equally the simile 'black as out mouth which utters its tuneless song' suggests they've lost the ability to communicate with each other.
Imperative highlights urgency to conclude, to figure out the truth.
'The ghosts of ourselves' could refer to their previous selves or their spirits.
Put out the light. Years stand outside on the street looking up to an open window, black as our mouth which utters its tuneless song. The ghosts of ourselves, behind and before us, throng in a mirror, blind, laughing and weeping. They know who we are.
“blind, laughing and weeping. They know who we are.” The ghosts know who she is, they know her identity, but she doesn't. She is concluding, but there's almost a twist in this, that she has actually come to know herself better by writing the poem and describing her situation, solving her ambiguous problems.
'Throng' - 'pack into' or 'fill'
It could be funny to watch their older selves in a relationship that is unrequited and not working.

12. Themes Ambiguity Uncertainty Secrecy Chiaroscuro Identity
Relationships
Memories of childhood and the past
Lust/love
Control/dominance
The power of love
Honesty
Stability