Understanding 'Before You Were Mine'
I can explain how Duffy presents the life-changing responsibilities of parenthood.
Understanding 'Before You Were Mine'
I can explain how Duffy presents the life-changing responsibilities of parenthood.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The speaker is initially looking at a photo and reminiscing about their mother’s life before she had children.
- The mother's life seemed glamorous, rebellious and full of promise before the speaker was born.
- The speaker feels her birth made her mother's life more mundane due to the responsibilities of parenthood.
- Duffy is a feminist writer who often criticises conventional and restrictive roles for women.
- This poem is semi-autobiographical, based on photographs of Duffy’s mother as a young woman.
Common misconception
The speaker explains how having children ruined her mother's life.
While Duffy does explore how motherhood has contributed to her mother's loss of confidence and freedom, the final stanza of the poem shows them both having fun together so it is evident that there are many positive aspects to motherhood as well.
Keywords
Mundane - ordinary, lacking excitement or interest
Feminist - advocating for the social, political, and economic rights of women
Semi- autobiographical - partially based on the author's own life experiences, events, or perspectives
Alluring - attractive in a mysterious or tempting way; captivating and seductive
Relic - an object surviving from a past era, often with historical, cultural, or sentimental significance
Equipment
You will need a copy of the AQA Love and Relationships anthology for GCSE.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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