| Collection
Introduction (2) | Mean Time, 1993
Duffy focuses on a girl's time at school
The poem captures two sides of teaching - teaching done well and teaching done badly |
| Subject (2) | The poem is about adolescent experiences
The speaker, an adult, reminisces on her days at school while looking at an old school photo |
| Form (4) | Four sestets
Use of sentences rather than verses (open form poetry)
It is told in a conversational style - direct address 'Look' creates dramatic immediacy, typical of prose-like writing
The title itself is ironic, referring to the 'good teachers' who are proud and snobbish instead of caring |
| Theme (4) | Duffy explores the qualities of "good teachers" whilst looking at her own experience of being young, inquisitive and rebellious
Teachers should have a caring side, but also the ability to be strict; firm but fair (C.R to 'In Mrs Tilscher's Class')
Rebellion in adolescence; Duffy juxtaposes the warm experience of her English lessons with images of pushing metaphorical boundaries
Memory; the very first line shows the persona dipping into their memories, through a photo
- (Transition from childhood into adulthood) |
| Motifs (3) | "Her kind intelligent eye. Her cruel blue one" (visual contrasting epithet)
"You roll the waistband of your skirt over and over"
"You run around the back to be in it again" |
| Cross References | Rudyard Kipling, 'The River's Tale'; a coming-of-age story focusing on psychological and moral growth |
| Diction; Lexical fields
Epithets
Conceit metaphor
Incremental repetition
Economy on words | School environment - 'History', 'teachers', 'corridor'
'virtuous' is full of contempt towards the proud teachers who regard reputation over their students
'the wall you climb' describes the transition from adolescence into adulthood
'But not Miss Sheridan/But not Miss Appleby' (anaphora); emphasises the overwhelming amount of unpleasant teachers in contrast with the one good teacher
'dancing, lovebites, marriage'; employed in the last stanza, quickly showing the progression in the persona's growth, until they end with a career at 'the Cheltenham and Gloucester' |
| Imagery and Symbolism; Pictorial
Associational (2)
Auditory | The teachers "swish down the corridor in long, brown skirts" highlights the self-importance they feel
"dumb insolence"
"smoke-rings"; the persona is trying to break free from the rules that the school demands - rebellion is part and parcel of teenagehood
"You won't pass. You could do better" (association); tantalising and clear example of unsatisfactory teaching methods |
| Rhythm (2) | Short sentences, 'Comment vous appelez', 'Never Miss Webb', 'Equal to the square' slows the tempo - monotonous and tedious environment
Enjambment speeds the tempo, 'So much, you are top/of her class.' The joy of impressing Miss Pirie is captured |
| Rhyme (2)
Assonance (2) | Absence of regular rhyme emulates inconsistency of the teachers' attitudes; some might be kind and caring, others have an negative impact
Distantly approximate rhyme, 'head', 'heart'
The names chosen for the teachers reflect the persona's attitude towards them;
- 'Pirie' creates a soft sound, with closed vowels
- 'Sheridan' creates a harsher sound, with hard 'sh' and open vowels |
| Tone (2)
Mood (2) | Critical towards the supposedly 'good teachers'; 'snobbish, and proud and clean and qualified'
Regretful towards the end (unclear whether it is on the student's or teacher's behalf)
The mood shifts according to the teacher;
- Miss Pirie creates a warm environment
- Miss Appleby creates a colder mood, accompanied with a judgemental tone |
| Conclusion | 'You'll be sorry one day' is unclear but potent
The poems ends on a regretful note |
