Friday 21 April 2023

Consider the gender of the poets. The Flea is by a 16th century male. What was the gender balance at this time? Does this affect the discussion of relationships within the poem?

Valentine is by a woman living in the 20th/21st century. What has changed in this time?

On gender, note that the Duffy poem is not gender specific. How might this be used in a discussion of male/female relationships?

The Duffy allows either gender to be speaking (even a potential homosexual relationship) and as such shows a real equality between the genders.

The speaker in the Donne is male. He seems to be using his power both of gender and language to bully (?) the female.

Is his persistent begging a sign of weakness in your opinion?

In the Donne, what is the male seeking? Is this love? Could you describe this as an appetite?

The Duffy seems to be concerned with love as a lasting, tangible emotion.

Try to find examples from the poems to support the points made on the previous two slides. 1 for each is quite sufficient.

Then try to focus on specific points of language or poetic devices to explain your choice of quotation…