Carol Ann Duffy – Context
Carol Ann Duffy is a British modern poet.
Duffy is the Poet Laureate for the UK, which means she is
one of the best poets writing in England today. She is
also the first female laureate.
She is a modern poet that uses the form of the
Shakespearean sonnet to show an updated form of
modern love.
Duffy also references fairytales and myths, which would
seem to play into the "fairytale romance" theme, but if you
dig deeper, the stories she is alluding to have dark and
twisted plots.
1
The Basics
• ‘Hour’ is from a collection of poetry by Carol Ann
Duffy.
• The book is called 'Rapture' and it explores a
relationship from beginning to end.
• ‘Hour’ appears at the start of the collection.
• ‘Hour’ is written in sonnet form.
Personification
suggests that Love is
victim to time.
The Hour
Simile comparing an hour to a
dropped coin suggests that an
extra hour is a happy surprise, it
enriches you.
Word choice of ‘thousands’, gives the
Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour,
sense of time being plentiful in that
bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich.
moment. That romance has made
We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers
time more.
or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch.
For thousands of seconds we kiss; your hair
like treasure on the ground; the Midas light
turning your limbs to gold. Time slows, for here
we are millionaires, backhanding the night
so nothing dark will end our shining hour,
no jewel hold a candle to the cuckoo spit
hung from the blade of grass at your ear,
no chandelier or spotlight see you better lit
than here. Now. Time hates love, wants love poor,
but love spins gold, gold, gold from straw.
Simile comparing hair to treasure. It is
the start of an extended metaphor. It all
suggests that spending time with
someone you love is more precious that
wealth.
Greek mythology reference - In Greek
myth, King Midas had the ability to turn
everything he touched into gold.
Metaphor of time millionaires and
backhanding suggest that lovers, rich
with love can make time slow down.
A 'backhander' is a slang term for a
bribe.
Imagery - The image of sunset
makes everything gold and
she wishes that the dark
(time) will not interrupt and
defeat their love.
The Hour
Love’s time’s beggar, but even a single hour,
bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich.
We find an hour together, spend it not on flowers
or wine, but the whole of the summer sky and a grass ditch.
For thousands of seconds we kiss; your hair
like treasure on the ground; the Midas light
turning your limbs to gold. Time slows, for here
we are millionaires, backhanding the night
so nothing dark will end our shining hour,
no jewel hold a candle to the cuckoo spit
hung from the blade of grass at your ear,
no chandelier or spotlight see you better lit
than here. Now. Time hates love, wants love poor,
but love spins gold, gold, gold from straw.
"Hold a candle to" is a
phrase means isn't as good
as… Leah cannot hold a
candle to Ms F when it
comes to busting the
moves.
Cuckoo is a
reference to that
type of clock (with
the little bird that
pops out).
In the fairytale 'Rumpelstiltskin', this character
can spin gold from straw. But there is always a
price to pay for his help! Is it the same with
stolen moments of love? Metaphor of a magical
spinning wheel suggests that love transforms the
terrible to the good.
A chandelier is a massive light.
Here it suggests that the
natural golden light is far
stronger and much better
than artificial light.
Sonnets – what do we remember?
• They are 14 lines, ending with a rhyming
couplet at the end.
• Rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG – this
means that the main take away message of the
sonnet is in the last two lines
• Rhythm – they are in iambic pentameter. Each
line is 5 iambs.
• Any irregularities are IMPORTANT.