The poem 'The Suicide' is a remarkable monologue; this kind of poem is a continuing theme in 'Mean Time. ' Another of her poems, 'The Captain of the 1964 Top of the form team' for example, was also written in this form. The title of 'The Suicide' is quite ambiguous in itself- maybe it's discussing the act of suicide or indeed to the persona her -or his-self. It really is as though the loudspeaker is utilized by the action of suicide - anything that the persona has said in the poem relates to the taking of one's life, and anything unrelated to the action is totally disregarded.
The setting up of 'The Suicide' is recognized easily on in the poem. The series 'small dark time with a bitter moon buffed by the smudgy clouds/ till it gleams with resentment, ' allows the reader to clearly envisage the time of which the suicide will need place. It's important that it requires place in 'the small dark time' because generally, this is the time of which most suicide endeavors transpire - time itself is suppressive, but cannot be suppressed. This links to the poem 'Mean Time, ' within the phrase 'darkening sky' and in particular in the conclusive stanza of the poem, 'But we are dead, as we know, beyond all light/These are shortened days and endless times. ' These lines enable the emotive, darkened disposition of the persona to be portrayed, and relate relatively to the feelings enunciated in 'The Suicide. ' The fact that the moon is referred to as 'bitter' presents the disposition of the persona themselves, immediately clarifying that something needy - 'Despair laced with a little glee' - is going to occur. The saying 'I lie back again under the lightbulb' allows for the knowledge of the loneliness of the problem; she actually is taking her life in a place of isolation, away from other beings. The 'lightbulb' and the light which it produces emphasise the extreme aspect of the function she'll implement, as well as referring to the metaphorical 'light' that you can view when nearing death. The use of the personification of the moon, 'till it gleams with resentment, ' contrasts with the girl's desire to be recognized - the moon will not desire to be found - it is resentful of this- however the subject does and is using suicide as a way to getting this attention. The single word 'Famous' can be used as a way of expressing the thoughts of the persona- if she was to commit suicide, then she'd be remembered for it, and would get the identification that she craves; equally as the acceptance of Kurt Cobain, and Marilyn Monroe, for example, increased after their suicides.
Despite all of this, the persona is most definitely in charge of the situation - 'leave it to me. ' In the play 'Macbeth', by William Shakespeare, Sweetheart Macbeth, upon planning for a murder herself, comments 'Leave all the rest to me. ' In stanza five, Duffy again relates her poem to Lady Macbeth's use of interrogative in the series 'give me the daggers. ' The persona state governments 'I get out the knives;' cutlery being plural, almost representing ritualistic behaviour, preparing for death in a particular manner. The people desire to have control reaches the metaphor, 'My body is a blank webpage I'll write on, ' implying that the fatality will be both physical and visual.
The persona is frequently known as being 'unconventional' - Duffy writes 'No one drinks with the complete face, ' implying that no person is altogether one being- however the persona is- 'I do. ' This links to the poem 'Stealing' and the ultimate line, 'You hardly understand a word I am declaring, do you?' It web links in the sense that despite everything she's said, the reasoning behind her desire to end her life is still a blur to the audience. We don't realize; nobody does - 'Nobody's ears are confessionals. ' It enunciates the complexity of the thoughts that the loudspeaker endures. Duffy uses a paradox in explaining 'sight in the goblet, like squids' to be 'hot' - it is as if the persona is speaking in reverse.
In the fifth stanza, Duffy
Duffy uses caesura in the poem frequently to emphasise particular words and phrases- in stanza two, the utilization of the slight sentence 'Lies. Blood. ' is an example of syntax - lies are offered before bloodstream, with the designed implication that sits lead to bloodstream. Through the entire poem, Duffy presents the speaker to be vindictive, using the interrogative 'get out the knives, ' and 'who desires a bloody valentine. ' The latter is quite ambiguous; a literal reference to a blood protected valentine, or figuratively supposed in a colloquial, dismissive sense. The use of terms and bitterness contrasts with the smooth, optimistic behaviour of individuals from numerous other poems from Duffy's 'Mean Time' collection, and also web links meticulously with the romanticized, unique representation of love in 'Valentine' where an onion, representing love, 'clings to your knife, ' but intended in an completely different theory to 'The Suicide, ' where the only thing clinging to her knives would be blood.
In the penultimate stanza, two different, contrasting extremes of feeling are provided; a dismissive aspect, and one typically self-regarding. The use of the curse 'Fuck off' is aggressive and vindictive, and obviously expresses the feelings that the persona is experiencing. As opposed to this, 'Worship' allows for the thoughts that the loudspeaker wishes to see to be recognized; she desires to be worshipped, she would like to at least gain some acknowledgement. She declares that 'This will wipe out my people', which, linking back to stanza five, contrasts with her declaring 'Utterly selfless. ' She sees the become being unselfish, however recognises the pain that it is going to cause her parents. It also symbolizes the irony of the situation; her blunt assertion shows that she knows that her parents will be damaged by her suicide, but regardless of this, she appears to move forward with the take action; she's no will to have, and views suicide as the simple way to avoid it, conveying the harm that the persona seems. The take action will literally wipe out her, and figuratively get rid of her parents. In stanza two, Duffy uses repetition of the words 'Never never never never enough, ' a term that is slightly echoing of the feelings- it shows the hysteria behind the problem, and how, no matter what happens, she will never be happy with her life the way things 're going.
