Translating the English , 1989 - Details

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Collection Introduction (3)

The Other Country, 1990 The poem speaks about a climate of individualism Everyone is on a selfish pursuit of wealth and there is a complete disregard of values Duffy equates the shallowness of modern society to a stilted, pidgin version of English

Subject (3)

The protagonist, a travel guide, is marketing the various tourist attractions of Great Britain It is made clear that nothing matters to the British population except for profit and wealth Duffy laments that there is no poetry left in her country, only greed

Form (4)

The dramatic monologue is a collage of references presented in a prose-like structure (28 lines) The limitations of space disallow an exhaustive exploration of all the facets of Thatcher’s Britain that is under attack from consumerism - economy on words The title has both literal and metaphorical significance - the 'English' that is translated refers to the language distorting as it passes through translation - it could also be a reference to the British population and Duffy's efforts in understanding their values The epigraph, "...and much of the poetry, alas, is lost in translation..." makes it clear that the intrinsic values that should ground us are sometimes lost

Theme (4)

Replacement of justice with myopic self-interest - no one looks beyond their profits Evidence that England is transforming into an unrecognisable country ; one that no longer cherishes values (C.R to title of collection) Linguistic relativity; Constant shaping of language to adapt to changes in society The repetition of "my country" has a sinister appeal - the reader understands that the country has changed beyond recognition - Multiculturalism - Materialism - Moral and Social Deprivation (lack of values)

Motifs (3)

"For two hundred quids we are talking Les Miserables" "All this can be arranged for cash no questions" "If you like/Shakespeare or even Opera we have too the Black Market"

Cross References

Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' - "Bottom, thou art translated!"; people are translated, transformed beyond recognition

Diction; Language Cultural References (2) Lexical fields Nouns (3) Juxtaposition (2) Irony (2)

The protagonist speaks in British Black English, a modified Jamaican creole (alludes to the literal meaning of the title - meanings become unclear and language evolves); 'plenty culture you will be agreeing' 'Charles Dickens', 'Terry Wogan'; speaker's indifference (humorous) 'Shakespeare', 'the Black Market'; interest in literature has disappeared Marketing - 'Sun', 'newspaper', 'tour' Places - 'capital city', 'Scotland' People - 'Andrew Lloyd Webber', 'Prime Minister' 'dogs', 'vagrants'; all these nouns seemingly make no sense together - no appreciation towards culture (brings out shallowness of speaker) The veneer of jocular bonhomie is stripped away in the references to the increasing violence and high interest rates in Northern Ireland High culture and underworld activity; 'If you like/Shakespeare or even Opera we have too the Black Market' 'our wonderful/capital city' 'smashing good time' (reference to the influx of estate agents); Duffy warns that the situation is remaining as it was in the 80s

Imagery; Associational Visual (3) Gustatory

'vagrancy', 'rape'; the country is too complacent to take any action "nods being as good as winks"; people are easily satisfied and there is no genuine enjoyment - no individuality within this mass of superficial people "history and buildings" presents a stark contrast with "ten pints and plenty rape" Duffy is appalled that something so beautiful; the culture and architecture, are being uttered in the same breath as the most horrific of acts, simply for the purpose of attracting tourist attention "don't eat the eggs"; unsettling

Rhythm (2)

The short, unfinished phrases allow the speaker to switch from one topic to the next relatively quickly as he tries to attract the attention of people passing by The limited attention given to each phrase further emphasises the extent of indifference the speaker feels towards these aspects of British life which is given substance through the utilisation of punctuation

Rhyme

The internal rhyme in 'crack, smack/and Carling Black Label' adds a sing-song quality to the nonsense coming from the speaker’s mouth It shows how intertwined all these subjects are in the speaker’s mind and the only thing that matters about them is their ability to produce profit (he enjoys this image)

Tone (2) Mood

The satirical tone of the poem alludes to the degradation of the language in Britain with an undertone of regretful pitifulness towards the population who continue to live their lives without values The poem is set in the busy streets of London, creating hectic confusion as you attempt to follow the speaker’s train of thought

Conclusion (3)

Duffy remarkably criticizes the shallowness of the population through their own words, as being represented by the marketeer This enables her to make a point about the society she lives in through a practical everyday example that many people give no attention to on a regular basis Duffy plays the part of the reluctant inhabitant, amongst others, in this ‘other country’ that is beyond recognition

Translating the English , 1989

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