The poet and her work
Carol Ann Duffy was born in the Gorbals, Glasgow on 23 December 1955 to an Irish family. When she was six, they
moved to Stafford. Her early passion for reading and writing was encouraged by two of her English teachers, and
developed by the poet-artist Adrian Henri (one of a trio of Liverpool poets whose work was famously anthologised as
‘The Mersey Sound’ in 1967). Duffy lived with Henri from the age of 16 until 1982. She went to the University of
Liverpool, and obtained a degree in Philosophy in 1977.
Her very productive writing life has included plays, editing anthologies, poetry for children, as well as adult-aimed
collections. Her work has been included in the curricula in schools throughout Britain.
Duffy has been quoted as saying, ‘Childhood is like a long greenhouse where everything is growing, it's lush and
steamy. It's where poems come from’ (The Guardian, 31 August 2002). Myth and fairy-tale are vital to Duffy’s
imagining of the world in both her adult and children’s poetry, but they are given contemporary voices in her poems.
In 2009, she accepted the post of Poet Laureate, making her the first female Scottish Poet Laureate in the role's 400
year history.
The Poem
‘The Dark’ is from ‘Tales of the Expected’, published in New and Collected Poems for Children by Carol Ann Duffy
(Faber, 2014)
Choose from the following activities to build your own Stage 2 poetry lessons.
Opening up the poem (reading and discussion)





Key questions LIT 2-16a, ENG 2-17a, ENG 2-19a
What is the poet trying to do in the first verse?
Which images does the poet use to make the dark seem less scary?
There are some simple rhymes in this poem. What effect do they have?
Look at the postcard. One word is in green. Why?
The final line is separated from the others. Look at the punctuation in the final line - the brackets ( ) and the
ellipsis … What is the effect of this last line? How does the punctuation help to create that effect?


Research SCN 2-06a, LIT 2-11a,
‘the moon as a bounced ball’: we all thought all lot about the moon and darkness during this year’s lunar
eclipse. You can use different sized balls to model an eclipse using instructions at
https://sites.google.com/a/york.ac.uk/uyseg/home/modellingandthesolareclipse
Lots of poems have been written about the moon – which ones do you know? Which ones can you find?
Collect moon poems from your school library or the internet. Vote for your class favourites and make an
anthology.
Climbing inside the poem (discussion and performance) LIT 2-02a, LIT 2-09a,
EXA 2-01a


Many people (including some adults) are afraid of the dark. Have a class discussion about being scared of
the dark. Why might people be scared of the dark? Can the group think of tips for people who are scared of
the dark? Some children may want to talk about their own feelings, either current feelings or those from when
they were younger. It’s important that the class is respectful and supportive of students who share their
vulnerable emotions and fears.
This poem is very short which means that it is great for learning by heart and performing aloud! In groups,
learn the poem and practise performing it to each other. How do you make the most of such a short piece?
Building on the poem (writing) LIT 2-26a, ENG 2-27a, LIT 2-28a, ENG 2-31a



If the dark is a ‘black park’, what else could it be? Write another poem using familiar calming or funny images
to help people who are scared. You can also make a joke like Carol Ann Duffy at the end if you like.
Poems can be great ways of working though your own fears and negative feelings. Maybe you’re scared of the
dark or spiders or something completely different - write your own fears down and shine a bright light on them
by making a poem about them. Try to use similes that describe the scary thing as something funny or silly.
Your first line could begin ‘I’m scared of nothing, nothing but…’ Keep writing!
After so much darkness, maybe you’d like to focus on light for a change. What could light be? It’s certainly not
a black park! What could the sun be? Write a bright poem to celebrate bright, light sunny days.
Further reading and links
Selected Books for children by Carol Ann Duffy
Meeting Midnight (Faber and Faber, 1999)
The Oldest Girl in the World (Faber and Faber, 2000)
The Good Child's Guide to Rock‘n’Roll (Faber and Faber, 2003)
Another Night Before Christmas (John Murray, 2005)
The Hat (Faber and Faber, 2007)
New and Collected Poems for Children (Faber and Faber, 2009)
Websites
https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/poets/carol-ann-duffy
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poet/carol-ann-duffy