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Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

The Learning Cauldron

3,626 views 6 months ago

Warm-up Questions

When you hear the title “Before You Were Mine,” what kind of relationship do you expect the poem to be about?
What do you usually look for when you analyse a poem (for example: themes, imagery, structure, tone)?
How can looking at old photos change the way you think about a family member’s life?

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Start With: Word Definition

Order: Alphabetical Random

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Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

What the poem is about + first stanza techniques (00:00 – 02:36)

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1. According to the speaker, analysing poetry mainly involves…

identifying and dissecting literary techniques to explore themes
finding historical facts about the poet’s life and focusing only on those
counting syllables to determine the poem’s rhythm
memorising the poem and reciting it clearly

2. In the poem, who does the second-person “you” refer to?

the poet’s mother (Mary)
Marilyn Monroe
the poet’s teacher
a romantic partner

3. What effect does the word “mine” in the title help create, as explained in the video?

an angry and threatening tone
a formal and distant tone
a humorous tone
a possessive tone

Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

Second stanza: freedom, “a hiding,” and changing expectations (02:36 – 04:27)

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1. What does the line “I’m not here yet” mean in the analysis?

The poet hasn’t been born yet at that time
The speaker is lost and cannot find the ballroom
The photo has been destroyed
The mother refuses to attend the dance

2. What is one possible meaning of “a thousand eyes” in the ballroom?

The mother is afraid of ghosts watching her
It refers to police watching the dance hall
It refers to a glitter ball reflecting light (and/or being the centre of attention)
It describes a room full of mirrors used for dance practice

3. In the video, what does “a hiding” mean?

a place to hide after a party
a type of dance step
a Scots word for a physical beating
a secret relationship

Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

Third & fourth stanzas: memory, imagery, tone, and structure (04:27 – 09:55)

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1. What do the mother’s “red shoes” become, according to the analysis?

relics from the past that the poet uses to play with
a symbol of wealth that the mother still shows off
evidence that the mother is still going to fancy events
a gift from Marilyn Monroe

2. What does the video say is happening in the phrase “Clear as scent”?

a pun about perfume brands
a metaphor about dancing perfectly
a simile comparing vividness to smell, plus a mixing of senses (synesthesia)
an example of rhyme scheme

3. How is the poem’s structure described at the end of the video?

Four stanzas of five lines each, with no rhyme scheme
One long stanza with repeated couplets
Three stanzas of six lines with a strict rhyme scheme
Four stanzas of four lines each, rhyming AABB

Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

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1. Which list best matches the themes the video says the poem explores?

war, technology, and science
travel, nature, and sports
crime, politics, and money
love, family/relationships, change (including women’s roles), time/ageing, identity, sacrifice

2. Why does the speaker say the poem can feel vivid even though it is about a time before the poet was born?

Because the poem is set in the future
Because the poet is reliving her mother’s past through photographs and imagination
Because the poet time-travels in the narrative
Because the mother writes diary entries in every stanza

3. What overall feeling is suggested near the end of the analysis?

The speaker feels indifferent about her mother’s past
The speaker feels proud that she improved her mother’s life
The speaker feels mainly angry at her mother for being careless
The speaker feels reflective, wistful, and somewhat guilty about how her arrival changed her mother’s life

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Carol Ann Duffy's "Before You Were Mine" | How to Analyse Poetry

Do you agree with the idea that the title “Before You Were Mine” sounds possessive? Why or why not?
Is it fair to say the poet’s birth “robbed” the mother of opportunities, or is that an unrealistic way to think about parenting?
What effect do you think sound techniques (alliteration, assonance, sibilance) have in poetry compared to plain description?
How can photographs shape (or distort) our understanding of someone’s identity before we knew them?