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Analysis of Grammar of Light

Synopsis= Here the poet observes and uses various sources of light to perhaps show an absence of love or rebirth/circle of life. Duffy stresses the importance of light and poses the question 'are we living in the shadows looking for light?', however it is important to note that the light in this poem is not important, it is the way the light is expressed by Duffy.


Key Quotations + Analysis=
1.) "The shy stars go stuttering on"
  • Here stars are usually a symbol of hope, positivity and guidance, however the fact that they are shy it indicates that they are hiding themselves, this perhaps implies that the hope in life is temporary.
  • Stuttering conveys that the guidance of the stars is somewhat ambiguous and lacks a strong consistency.
2.) "The flare of another match"
  • This could suggest that there is always hope and the speaker can somewhat control that by generating light such as above.
  • There is also always "another" opportunity to generate positivity. "Flare" has allusions to the spark of finding a romantic partner which could further imply that there is always the chance to find someone.
3.) "Meaningless O"
  • Here Duffy is perhaps portraying that the 2 lovers are trying to find each other and the meaningless O represents an embrace such as a kiss, the kiss itself is perhaps meaningless but they were able to find each other due to the light which is significant as the light allowed them to learn from each other.
4.) "Undressing in veils of mauve smoke"
  • Duffy structures this sentence to represent the unveiling of the truth, which is similar to bringing light to the truth. This gentle imagery shows that it is a pleasant and gentle process, day by day new things are discovered which is shown by the continuation of time passing.
  • "Mauve" accentuates the gentle process as it is not a bold or vibrant colour, it is a muted shade, it also resembles the sky when it is a dusk time, signifying that the day is coming to an end.
5.) "Shadows circle the table"
  • Here this line emits an ominous atmosphere to the reader through the verb "circle" as it alludes to being trapped within something, this is further reinforced with the lexical choice "shadows" as it portrays a fear of the unknown.


 

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