Before You Were Mine (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem - printed in full - and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages of the poet
How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology
Below is a guide to Carol Ann Duffy’s poem 'Before You Were Mine', from the Love and Relationships anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Carol Ann Duffy’s intention and message
Before You Were Mine in a nutshell
Before You Were Mine, written by the poet Carol Ann Duffy, is a direct address to a mother reflecting on their life before and after they were a parent. She explores the adult child’s imagined view of her mother as a younger woman as vibrant and free from responsibility to highlight the restrictive element of parenthood.
'Before You Were Mine'
Lines 1-2
“I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.”
Translation
The poem begins directly addressing the speaker’s mother
The speaker refers to her mother’s friends meeting her on a corner
However, she explains that she has not been born yet; her mother will have her in ten years time, indicating the description is of a much younger woman
Duffy’s intention
The poet begins with a description of her mother as she was ten years before she became her parent
Her colloquial reference to her mother’s “pals” presents her mother, and their relationship, as relaxed and friendly
Lines 3-4
“The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.”
Translation
The speaker describes the younger woman, before she was a mother, as lively and fun
Duffy’s intention
Duffy imagines her mother as a vibrant woman before motherhood to highlight the independence and freedom she had
Line 5
“Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn.”
Translation
The speaker addresses her mother, describing her as Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe, a famous actress, was renown for her glamour and vitality
However, her life was cut short: perhaps Duffy implies motherhood ruins youthful glamour and vitality
Duffy’s Intention
Duffy’s speaker reflects on the freedom and beauty which was once her mother’s before she became a mother by describing her as a glamorous actress whose life was cut short
Lines 6-7
“I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur
in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows”
Translation
Here, the speaker explains this was before she was born
Her mother has not even considered motherhood as she is having too much fun
Duffy’s intention
Duffy uses vivid imagery to describe the mother’s future as a young woman, unrestricted by the responsibilities of motherhood
The short sentence, “I’m not here yet” foreshadows that motherhood may change things
Lines 8-10
“the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance
like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close
with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it.”
Translation
The speaker talks directly to her mother: her mother was out late dancing and she was punished with a “hiding” (a beating) when she got home
She implies her mother enjoyed dancing so much the punishment was “worth it”
Duffy’s intention
Here, Duffy presents an intimate relationship between daughter and child
She uses an imagined anecdote to present her mother as rebellious and lively
Lines 11-12
“The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh?
I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics,”
Translation
The speaker explains that the following decade, after she became a mother, was different: her sarcasm suggests she believes it was not as good as life before
She explains how possessive she must have been as a child: taking over the shoes her mother used to dance in and yelling selfishly
Duffy’s intention
Duffy presents an alternative perspective of motherhood
The speaker believes she restricted her mother’s life once she was born
Her mother needed to take care of her instead of dancing
Lines 13-15
“and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square
till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree,
with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?”
Translation
The speaker addresses her mother as a ghost, referring to her absence in the daughter’s life
However, the daughter’s close relationship continues as she imagines seeing her mother and talking with her
Duffy’s intention
Duffy presents an intimate conversation between the daughter and her dead mother
She speaks directly to her as a younger woman
She suggests that as an adult she can understand her mother better now
She sees her as an individual
Lines 16-17
“Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass,
stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then”
Translation
The speaker remembers her mother teaching her how to dance on the way home from church
Duffy’s intention
The speaker’s memory describes her mother as rebellious even as a mother
She danced on the way home from church on the “wrong pavement”
The broken line implies “Even then” could also refer to her younger mother
Lines 18-17
“I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere
in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts
where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.”
Translation
The speaker tells her mother she wanted the spirited, fun nature of her mother
She says that the glamour of her mother remains in the memory of her youth
Duffy’s intention
Duffy presents the daughter’s feelings here: she wishes her mother was more like she was when she was younger
She acknowledges her birth changed her mother and restricted her freedom to be more fun-loving
Writer’s Methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Carol Ann Duffy’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:
Form
Carol Ann Duffy’s poem is an informal, personal conversation between the narrator and her mother. The poem’s conversational tone and direct address explores the responsibilities of parenthood as the narrator reflects on her mother as an unrestrained younger woman.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Intimate family relationships | The poem is a direct address to the mother as the speaker (the daughter) reflects on her mother’s life before she was born: “I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on” | Duffy immediately begins her poem back in time to speak to her mother as she was before her daughter was born: this offers an alternative perspective to parenthood |
The speaker’s tone is conversational
| Duffy’s poem uses references which are known to the mother and daughter and their past which create a tone of nostalgia as the speaker reflects on her mother’s youth | |
Carol Ann Duffy’s poem is a wistful conversation to her mother, not only as the speaker imagines her mother’s past, but as she herself remembers her mother | ||
Structure
The regular structure of the poem conveys a speaker with composure. Although her poem does not evidence this, Duffy has explained that the poem was written while looking at a photograph of her mother, suggesting a reflective tone. Duffy conveys a pragmatic acceptance of the nature of motherhood as the daughter revisits her mother’s past.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Acceptance and distance | "Before You Were Mine" is a poem of 4 regular stanzas with similar line lengths
| Duffy presents the daughter’s composure to show her balanced emotions, presenting a theme of acceptance despite the distance between the parent and child
|
The poem begins and ends on an image of her young mother laughing before she became a parent
| Duffy’s ending suggests the mother’s vibrant nature ends when her daughter was born, suggesting a sympathetic acceptance of the reality of motherhood | |
Duffy’s speaker portrays the distance between her and her mother by describing an imagined memory in her mother’s youth, and as she reflects on this, she accepts her role in changing her mother’s life | ||
Language
Carol Ann Duffy uses vivid imagery to bring to life the imagined memory of her mother , in a poem which pays tribute to her mother as a woman outside of her role as a parent. The informal tone of the poem conveys the intimate bond between parent and child.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Family relationships | Rich vivid imagery describes her mother’s youth before she was a parent to show her life as vibrant and fun
| Duffy shows her mother’s life as exciting and filled with promise to contrast the way her life changes when she becomes a mother: Duffy implies the woman is free before parenthood |
The poet uses colloquial phrases and references to speak directly and specifically to her mother and to describe her as rebellious: “your Ma stands at the close/with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it. | Duffy implies her mother was punished for being a spirited and rebellious woman, which presents a sympathetic perspective | |
However, in the final stanzas, Duffy’s speaker refers to events later in her mother’s life, once she became a parent: “on the way home from Mass, stamping stars from the wrong pavement.” | The speaker shows her mother as still spirited despite her responsibilities, which presents a positive depiction of her mother and shows the love between them | |
Duffy presents a positive perspective of her mother as a bright and exciting woman | ||
Duffy’s poem uses language which connotes to the possessive nature and responsibilities of motherhood
| Nevertheless, Duffy’s speaker acknowledges the changes motherhood brings: she uses possessive pronouns to indicate the unrelenting nature of dependent children | |
Duffy’s presentation of motherhood presents the restrictive aspects of motherhood and presents an alternative perspective about family relationships | ||
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Carol Ann Duffy or facts unrelated to the ideas in Before You Were Mine. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Carol Ann Duffy in Before You Were Mine which relate to family love and relationships.
This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Duffy explores:
Family relationships
Carol Ann Duffy’s poem, Before You Were Mine, is from a collection of poems called ‘Mean Time’, which explores themes of childhood, memory, love, and time
This poem explores ideas regarding youth and memory as Duffy delves into an imagined moment from her mother’s past life as a young woman
The poem references polka-dot dresses, ballroom dance halls, and Marilyn Monroe which suggests the mother is a teenager during the 1950s
Duffy was born in 1955, so “ten years away" could imply the speaker is a teenager when she writes the poem to her mother
Duffy’s poem explores the nature of youth at a time when the idea of being a ‘teenager’ was a new concept
Society was beginning to recognise adolescence as separate from childhood
Her depiction of her mother as a rebellious young woman shrieking and laughing on the corner with her pals celebrates the new freedom young people were beginning to enjoy at the time
Before You Were Mine considers the changing role of women and therefore comments on feminist perspectives
The speaker’s mother stays out late, flirts and draws attention to herself
In 1950s England, this behaviour would oppose the stereotypical female
Women's roles were still restricted and it was expected that females adopted the role of mother and wife above all else
Duffy’s poem offers a critical view of the way motherhood restricts women
Distance and acceptance
Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate in the UK between 2009 and 2019, wrote 'Before You Were Mine' to reflect on the distances between parent and child
Her dramatised scene of a moment from her mother’s past explores a daughter’s perspective on a distant version of her mother
The poem explores a daughter’s pragmatic acceptance of a mother’s absence, in this case, because of death
Duffy refers to her mother as a “ghost [which] clatters toward me over George Street”
The modern poem, however, presents a personal conversation between mother and daughter which implies the mother’s continued presence in her daughter’s life, alluding to the power of the family bond
The speaker tells her mother, “I see you, clear as scent,”
What to compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that Before You Were Mine explores the ideas of family relationships and distance, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
'Before You Were Mine' and 'Eden Rock'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Carol Ann Duffy’s 'Before You Were Mine' and Charles Causely’s 'Eden Rock' present speakers who remember their parents warmly. They both speak of the bond which remains between parent and child after death. While Carol Ann Duffy’s poem is a personal direct address from a child to a mother, Charles Causely’s poem is detached, representing the isolation the child feels in the absence of their parents.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both speakers describe their parents positively as younger people suggesting their significance in the children's lives | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Eden Rock' |
Duffy’s speaker is calm as she remembers her mother, suggesting the mother’s role in her life as positive
| Similarly, Charles Causely’s first-person speaker sounds calm as he remembers his parents
| |
Duffy’s speaker describes her mother in vivid imagery, connoting excitement and fun
| The speaker here uses positive imagery to describe his parents as they once were as younger people
| |
The mother is presented as supportive in her role: “You'd teach me the steps” | Similarly, Causely presents a child’s perspective of his parents as reassuring and guiding, shown through their communication to him despite their distance: “'See where the stream-path is!/Crossing is not as hard as you might think.'” | |
Duffy and Causely both pay tribute to their parents by showing them as young and vibrant, as well as supportive parents | ||
Topic sentence | Both poets illustrate a family bond which continues after death | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Eden Rock' |
Duffy communicates with her mother despite her absence
| Causely communicates with his parents in a dream-like state of remembering a family event: “They beckon me from the other bank/I hear them call” | |
Duffy’s poem suggests the bond lasting beyond death: “your ghost clatters toward me over George Square”
| Similarly, Causely’s poem explores the close connection of family bonds as he speaks with his distant parents
| |
Both Duffy and Causely explore the way speakers experience powerful memories as a way to connect with distant parents | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While Carol Ann Duffy’s poem ends with a speaker who accepts the mother’s absence, Charles Causely’s poem ends with a speaker unable to accept the distance between him and his parents | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Eden Rock' |
The speaker is able to separate herself from the memory
| Here, the speaker’s unresolved longing for his parents presents a speaker who is caught in the past
| |
The speaker is able to imagine her mother as a woman before parenthood, presenting an alternative, more realistic perspective
| Causely’s speaker remembers a specific memory of his parents as young adults, which suggests he sees them like that still
| |
Both poets explore the strong bond between parent and child and the security they provide, however Duffy’s poem presents a speaker able to accept a more realistic version of the role of parenthood, whereas Causely depicts a more idealised version of the speaker’s parents and still mourns their absence | ||
'Before You Were Mine' and 'Follower'
Comparison in a nutshell:
This is an effective comparative choice to explore changing roles in family relationships. Both Carol Ann Duffy’s poem 'Before You Were Mine' and Seamus Heaney’s 'Follower' deal with complex dynamics of intimacy and independence between a parent and child.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems explore family relationships through speakers who remember their parents in their younger years | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Follower' |
Duffy’s poem explores the emotional impact of absent parents by imagining a moment from her mother’s past
| Similarly, Heaney’s poem centres around a significant memory of a father in younger years
| |
Duffy presents her mother as exciting and vibrant: “Your polka-dot dress blows around your legs”
| Seamus Heaney’s speaker also shows his father positively in his memory
| |
The speakers both explore family relationships by describing their parents when they were in their prime, in memories, imagined or real | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While both poems show a close family bond, Carol Ann Duffy’s poem focuses around a distant memory of her mother as a young woman, free and unconstrained, before she becomes a parent, while Seamus Heaney’s poem focuses on a son’s need to follow in his father’s footsteps | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Follower' |
The poem explores distance in the relationship between a daughter and mother in a reflective first-person conversation: “Your ghost clatters toward me” | Heaney’s poem presents the speaker’s father in a more detached third-person voice, yet the parent remains close by
| |
Duffy offers an alternative view on motherhood
| Heaney’s poem illustrates traditional family values
| |
Both poems discuss family love, however Duffy’s speaker addresses a distant, subversive mother about an imagined moment in her youth, while Heaney’s speaker explores his feelings regarding the ongoing presence of his traditional father in his life | ||
'Mother, Any Distance' and 'Before You Were Mine'
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Before You Were Mine and Simon Armitage’s poem Mother, Any Distance present the perspectives of children reflecting on distance between parent and child and acknowledging the changing nature of family relationships. However, Duffy’s poem considers her mother as an individual before she was a mother, whereas Armitage’s poem considers the role of his mother in his life.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems present perspectives of adult children directly addressing their mothers | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Mother, Any Distance' |
Duffy’s poem directly addresses her mother
| Armitage’s poem, too, is a direct address to his mother
| |
The speakers convey the personal bond between parent and child with adult speakers who talk directly to their respective mothers, while acknowledging the distance which occurs as children grow up | ||
Duffy’s speaker reflects on her mother as a mentor and presents her poem as a eulogy: “You'd teach me the steps on the way home” | Similarly, Armitage’s speaker acknowledges his mother’s supportive role in his life: “You come to help me measure” | |
The poems both comment on the powerful, supportive influence of mothers in family relationships | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poets present speakers who comment on dependence within family relationships | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Mother, Any Distance' |
Duffy’s speaker explores the possessive element within family relationships: “The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell”
| Armitage’s poem also presents the possessive nature of parental bonds
| |
The poets comment on the idea of dependence between parents and children, recognising the restrictions this can bring within family relationships | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Carol Ann Duffy’s poem presents a speaker aware of her mother as an individual, not just in her role as a parent, while Simon Armitage’s speaker reflects on his mother’s role in his life | |
Evidence and analysis | 'Before You Were Mine' | 'Mother, Any Distance' |
Duffy’s speaker reflects on her mother’s imagined past before she had a child, using vivid imagery: “where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.” | However, Armitage’s poem depicts a day when a son’s mother helps him move into his own home
| |
Duffy describes her mother as a younger woman, free of parental responsibilities: “The thought of me doesn’t occur”
| Armitage’s poem is a personal reflection which describes his own actions: “I reach”, “I space-walk”
| |
Both speakers reflect on their parents, however Duffy’s poem describes her mother in an imagined event from her past, while Armitage’s poem reflects on a son’s feelings toward his mother | ||
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