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Analysis of Confession

Synopsis=  Duffy portrays the influence of religion as overbearing in particular the rituals enforced by the church such as confession, which have the purpose of shaming those who sinned, instead of forgiveness which is the true purpose of Christianity.  

 Key Quotations + Analysis
1.)  "Tell your sins to the hidden man"
  • This quote portrays the priest in a sinister light and conveys them as intruding, this is reinforced using the imperative verb choice of "tell" which could imply that the speaker has no choice as it is what is expected of them and no one ever seems to question it. 
  • The fact that the priest is "hidden" is significant as it shows how the speaker believes it to be hypocritical that she must expose her sins whilst he can keep himself, and therefore his sins, hidden. 
2.) " Out with those sins those little maggoty things" 
  • This strongly suggests that the speaker has the view that it is a disease to have a sin, as maggots are often associated with infection and disease. Maggots tend to populate and take over an area by infecting it which could portray that over time the conscience of having a sin takes over and causes immense guilt.
  • "Maggoty things" could also make a reference to the feeling of nerves that the speaker has to confess her sins, it feels as if she is covered in maggots as it makes her skin crawl. 
3.) "See the flicker of your white hands" 
  • Confessions are placed within churches as a way for a person to cleanse themselves of their sins, however the dark repressive nature of religion and harshness of religious practices portrayed in this poem imply that its oppressive approach is stripping young children (such as the speaker) to lose their innocence/childhood joy. 
4.) " On your knees lets hear that wee voice"
  • The overriding tone of this line is extremely patronising, this makes the speaker appear vulnerable especially compared to the "hidden man" who keeps his identity unknown whilst the speaker must expose their flaws and therefore face judgement.
  • It could also suggest the speaker is deemed less than the church (opposes Christian beliefs), it also has a slight sexual undertone which has implications to priest which abuse their power within their role.
5.)  "Clasping each other like Hansel and Gretel in the big black wood"
  • Here the speaker uses fairy tale imagery to accentuate the fear and loneliness of the speaker, Hansel and Gretel were put into a vulnerable position where they suffered immensely, this could imply that the speaker feels vulnerable confessing their sins and instead of reciprocating forgiveness and love, they face the opposite nature from the priest. 
  • The allusion of fairy tales could also suggest that the speaker is in doubt of the credibility of religion, they could be suggesting that it is no more valid than fairy tales. 
Themes in Confession
  • Oppression
  • Religion 
  • Loss of identity 
Links to other Poems
  • Litany= Both speakers face repression but in varied forms, Litany- social repression, confession- religious repression.
  • Prayer= Both give a somewhat negative outlook on religion, Confession portray it as an oppressive force whereas Prayer conveys it as influential to some, but not necessary to have faith.

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