a2 english unit 4 poetry – carol ann duffy oslo. the title is the name of a real place. it is...
TRANSCRIPT
A2 English Unit 4Poetry – Carol Ann
Duffy
Oslo
Oslo The title is the name of a real place. It is the subject of, but not named in
the poem. Four quatrains and a couplet to end. Odd numbered lines rhyme or half
rhyme. Lines of almost equal length create
a regular rhythm.
Oslo Speaks directly to the reader. Starts as instructions on what to
do in a strange town. Town personified as revealing
itself. Your own town could never do
that because you have grown up learning it gradually.
Oslo
Being a foreigner, not speaking the language turns a person into a baby again, innocent.
Cliché- what can’t speak can’t lie?Strangers, foreigners are seen as
invisible – why?
OsloSuggesting some bad
behaviour. Getting up to mischief in a new place where no-one knows you.
Innocent baby or grown up & naughty?
Oslo Enjambment from second to third stanza. Time passes, going from planning to go
there to actually going through the door. Brief phrases, indicating the speed at which
events take place. Ready to gamble.
Oslo
The writer implies this is the time for naïve tourists rather than “real” gamblers.
How are they described? Repetition of bet suggests compulsive
nature of activity.
Oslo Fourth stanza starts with a cliché- win
some/lose some.Comparing gambling to life in
general?Hasn’t caught the gambling bug
as line one suggests writer is bored.
Child like – what next?
Oslo Hotel seen as home whilst in this foreign
town. With only a numbered key, impersonal – no
winnings. Writer appears to know Oslo quite well. Norwegian wood = sly reference to Beatles
song – common referent in Duffy’s work.
Oslo Last line of stanza –
For now, you’re lucky –
Why? Moves onto last stanza – couplet – implies you
may have lost money at tables but somebody loves you.
Oslo Very complex & full last two lines.
Based on more clichés- Lucky at cards/unlucky in
love, or vice versa Wishing on a star Choose a star with lover and
agree both will look to it.
Oslo “Sieve” – suggests selecting one from
many. Several incomplete phrases or sayings
throughout poem. How much of what is here follows Duffy’s
frequent use of conversational style? Where does she use figurative language?
Oslo
What is the general mood of the poem? How did you come to these conclusion? What can you cite from the text to support
your views?