Critical Appreciation of Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy

Critical Appreciation of Before You Were Mine by Carol Ann Duffy

The poem is written in first person perspective, the protagonist

seemingly being the daughter of the woman or mother that is being

described in the poem. The daughter reminisces about the time when her

mother was young and carefree. She talks both about and to her mother

with passion, respect and love, which allows the poem to have a light

hearted and "happy" tone to it. The speaker of this poem recalls with

fondness how much fun her mother had when she was young with no

responsibilities, which leads us into the underlying problem with the

situation, that she now has a daughter, which ultimately leads to the

"end" of her mother's youth.

The tone of this poem is certainly loving and admiring of her mother,

the daughter being in awe of her care free spirit, "I knew you would

dance like that." This in turn leads the reader to think of the

subject's mother with affection too, due to our only having her

opinion on this woman. The fact that we are in awe of her mother and

her mother's lifestyle heightens the sadness we may feel at the loss

of her youth which is brought on by her having a child, more so than

if we were indifferent to her mother. The tone also creates a sense

that the speaker is just thinking out loud, not particularly to an

audience, by her use of random phrases and enjambment, which is

suitable to her thoughts as she thinks of them, "Your polka-dot dress

blows round your legs. Marilyn." So she may not necessarily intend

this to be heard by an audience, which elevates the intimate bond

between her and her mother. Also the use of colloquialisms such as

"eh...

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... something that her fun-loving mother would

have willingly chosen to go to, so this reminds us of the impact her

daughter has had on her life. The last thought is quite conclusive,

"that glamorous love lasts where you sparkle and waltz and laugh

before you were mine." The non-standard grammar with repetition of

"and" increases the feeling that her daughter is lively and excited to

be revelling in her mother. In a way she may be saying that although

her mother may not "sparkle and waltz and laugh" anymore, she will

still do so in her own imagination. She is constantly aware that her

very own presence may have stopped her mother from having fun anymore,

but she has accepted this and suggests that that time is still

ever-present, "that glamorous love lasts," in whatever form it may

take whether real or in her imagination.