Stealing
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In English
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11 questions
| 🇬🇧 | 🇬🇧 |
| Collection Introduction (2) | Selling Manhattan, 1987 Duffy explores the virtues held by society, exemplified by a thief She regards the actions of an individual as a barometer for the political climate |
| Subject (3) | A petty thief talks about the items they have stolen, the most unusual a snowman Duffy is curious about the psychological reasons behind stealing a snowman - the persona derives pleasure from seeing the children unhappy Told from the perspective of an anonymous, potentially juvenile, delinquent |
| Form (3) | Five quintets Dramatic monologue The formal structure contrasts the informal register of the persona |
| Theme (4) | Loneliness amongst a society that disregards him The futility of his actions are clear - he steals a guitar without learning to play it; he cannot find meaning or value in his life Psychological longing for a friend; failure to do so prompts aggression Antisocial behaviour suggests no one understands his pain - Longing for love, belonging and acceptance - Moral and social deprivation (lack of spirituality, values) |
| Motifs (5) | "sick of the world" - climactic emotional release "I joyride cars/to nowhere" "I wanted him, a mate" "Life's tough" "You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" |
| Diction; Register Lexical fields (2) Nouns (2) | Colloquial, unpoetic - 'he weighed a ton', 'I'm a mucky ghost', 'flogged it', he leaves 'mess' (defeacation), 'nicked a bust of Shakespeare once' (juxtaposition) Isolation - 'tough', 'boring', 'mute' Loneliness - 'frozen', 'chill', 'ghost' (lack of warmth) Concrete - 'guitar', 'camera', 'snowman' (what he steals) Abstract - 'boredom' (how he feels) |
| Imagery and Symbolism; Pictorial (2) Kinaesthetic Auditory Synaesthetic | "He looked magnificent, tall, white" - false glorification "I took a run and booted him" - frustration in failing to create a 'mate' "hugged to my chest" - he is searching for warmth (ironic) "children would cry in the morning" - disturbing, almost sadistic in nature "My breath ripped out in rags" - violent image |
| Rhythm (2) Punctuation | Begins In Media Res - use of prose techniques in conjunction with her writing Enjambed, rather than end-stopped - reflects normal tempo of speech (ventriloquism) 'Again. Again' - repetitive life of the thief |
| Rhyme | Internal (aspect of dramatic monologue) - 'slice of ice'; cold and harsh 'chill and thrill' |
| Tone Mood | Sympathy for the character Dark and cold - sheer loneliness of the persona |
| Conclusion | Duffy explores the minds of those who are mentally unstable |