In Before You Were Mine Carol Ann Duffy recalls her mother’s teenage years in Scotland. She writes about her mother’s friends (Magee McGeeney and Jean Duff) and about her love of life - the dances the boyfriends, the fashions. Her love of her mother and her memories of the good times they had together are powerfully expressed in the poem. Before you were mine 1 Starter (10 mins) What do you know about the early lives of your parents? Do you think they were: Better behaved than you or wilder Less or more confident Keen to be parents one day Filled with hopes and dreams Do you think that becoming parents changed them? If so, then how? Write a paragraph. Starter (10 mins) What do you know about the early lives of your parents? Do you think they were: Better behaved than you or wilder Less or more confident Keen to be parents one day Filled with hopes and dreams Do you think that becoming parents changed them? If so, then how? Write a paragraph.

Before You Were Mine I'm ten years away from the corner you laugh on with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff. The three of you bend from the waist, holding each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement. Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs. Marilyn. I'm not here yet. The thought of me doesn't occur in the ballroom with the thousand eyes, the fizzy, movie tomorrows the right walk home could bring. I knew you would dance like that. Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close with a hiding for the late one. You reckon it's worth it. The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh? I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics, and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree, with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart? Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass, stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine. Task (5/10 mins) In this poem, Duffy writes about the life her mother led when she was a teenager. Read the first three stanzas. What do they tell you about: The kinds of things she enjoyed doing The sort of clothes she used to wear The sort of person she was Write at least 3 sentences

Cha cha cha! You'd teach me the steps on the way home from Mass, stamping stars from the wrong pavement. Even then I wanted the bold girl winking in Portobello, somewhere in Scotland, before I was born. That glamorous love lasts where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine. Task (5 mins) In stanza four, Duffy remembers an event from her childhood. What does she remember? What image of Duffy’s mother is given here? Write at least 2 sentences.

Task (5 mins) Find and write down 2 quotes which show that Duffy probably: Looked at early photographs of her mother Looked in her mother’s wardrobe

Task (5 mins) The poem’s title suggests that the young Duffy felt that her mother belonged to her. Where in stanza three is this idea suggested? According to the poem, how might the mother’s life have changed following the birth of her daughter? The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one, eh? I remember my hands in those high-heeled red shoes, relics, and now your ghost clatters toward me over George Square till I see you, clear as scent, under the tree, with its lights, and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?

Exploring language, structure and form Task (5/10 mins) Duffy divides the poem into four similarly structured stanzas. Which of these summaries corresponds to each stanza? Mother teaches daughter dance steps; daughter thinks what a great dancer her mum used to be. Mother is a teenager giggling with her best mates. Finding high heeled shoes makes daughter think of her mum on dates Mother used to stay out late at the ballroom. Risking her own mum’s anger Copy and complete this table: StanzaSummary

Task (5 mins) What do you think Duffy’s purpose is in writing this poem? Write out the statement you believe best encapsulates the meaning of the poem and why. A.To discover more about her mother’s early life? B.To show that mothers are people not just parents C.To explain her reasons for admiring her mother D.To ridicule the outdated pastimes enjoyed by her mother E.To try to put herself in her mother’s place, see things from her point of view

Task (10 mins) In the poem the poet remembers many things about her mother’s teenage years. Draw an image to represent just one thing in your own life you will look back on with pleasure when you are older. Task (10 mins) In the poem the poet remembers many things about her mother’s teenage years. Draw an image to represent just one thing in your own life you will look back on with pleasure when you are older.