1. Carol Ann Duffy Holly and Harriet
Small Female Skull
Carol Ann Duffy
Holly and Harriet

2. Starter: what words do you associate with ‘Small Female Skull’ and what themes do you think the poem illustrates?
Themes:
Mortality
The past
Changing
Self love/realisation
Control
The power of language
Imagery
Small
Baby
Young Child
Tiny
Delicate
Fragile
Female
Lady
Girl
Mother
Below (society)
Elegant
Skull
Death
Bones
Fragile
Gothic
Old

3. Stanza 1:
Why does Duffy refer to the skull as ‘it’?
Identify the significance of the word ‘balance’?
With some surprise, I balance my small female skull in my hands. What is it like? An ocarina? Blow in its eye. It cannot cry, holds my breath only as long as I exhale, Mildly alarmed now, into the hole where the nose was, Press my ear to its grin. A vanishing sigh.
What do you think an ocarina is? What is its significance in this poem?
How does this stanza link to Duffys younger self and growing up?

4. Stanza 1:
Why does Duffy refer to the skull as ‘it’?
By not personifying the skull, Duffy is portraying the skull as an object. This is further supported by ‘it cannot cry’ because this is showing that it doesn’t have any emotions, like a human would.
Identify the significance of the word ‘balance’?
Balance conveys the idea of her control over the skull of being unsteady and her inability of keeping it together, meaning that it could break any time.
With some surprise, I balance my small female skull in my hands. What is it like? An ocarina? Blow in its eye. It cannot cry, holds my breath only as long as I exhale, Mildly alarmed now, into the hole where the nose was, Press my ear to its grin. A vanishing sigh.
An ocarina is a wind musical instrument with enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body.
How does this stanza link to Duffys younger self and growing up?
The person who is holding the skull (Carol Ann Duffy) symbolises the way in which she has changed so much that its almost as if the person that she used to be has died, and a new person with a different perspective on life has replaced her.
The significance of the ocarina to this text, is that it has similar physicality's to a skull, such as the holes and hollowness. The hollowness links to the idea of the skull not having any emotion, as well as its ability to be controlled and it’s fragility.

5. Stanza 2:
What could the use of inanimate objects being listed, followed by ‘but something else…’ symbolise or suggest about the main themes and ideas about this poem?
How does the skull represent the image of mortality?
For some time, I sit on the lavatory seat with my head
In my hands appalled. It feels much lighter than I’d thought;
The wait of a deck of cards, a slim volume of verse,
But something else, why do I kiss it on the brow, my warm lips to its papery bone,
Identify how and why the affection towards the skull is shown throughout this stanza.

6. Stanza 2: For some time, I sit on the lavatory seat with my head
What could the use of inanimate objects being listed, followed by ‘but something else…’ symbolise or suggest about the main themes and ideas about this poem?
The way Duffy has listed the inanimate objects, followed by ‘but something else, as though it could levitate.’ could emphasise the fact that this skull does symbolise her as her past self. This is because firstly she used physical comparisons to the skull, but to then personifies it as something that is independent of her own actions.
How does the skull represent the image of mortality?
the image Carol Ann Duffy creates of a woman holding a skull in her hand, references to Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. This image is symbolic of humankind’s contemplation of death as it reflects on how the passage of time changes people and begins to come to terms with their own mortality.
For some time, I sit on the lavatory seat with my head
In my hands appalled. It feels much lighter than I’d thought;
The wait of a deck of cards, a slim volume of verse,
But something else, as though it could levitate. Disturbing.
So why do I kiss it on the brow, my warm lips to its papery bone,
Short sentence used to promote her strong attitude towards the skull.
The image of the woman sitting on the lavatory seat with her head in her hands, represents another famous image of ‘The Thinker’ . This imagery links to the idea of contemplation and distress about her childhood.
Identify how and why the affection towards the skull is shown throughout this stanza.
Carol Ann Duffy may seem to feel affection for the skull as the symbol of her former self, perhaps pitying herself or the girl she used to be for the difficulties she has to endure.
This quotation could also link to the idea of Duffy holding the skull in her hands recollecting her past when she was a child, and how she has grown up and is unable to go back to who she was before, hence the use of the word ‘appalled’.

7. Stanza 3: and take it to the mirror to ask for a gottle of geer?
“gottle of geer” is a phrase associated with ventriloquism. How could this theme of control link to this poem?
Stanza 3:
What could “take it to the mirror” symbolise in this stanza? Could this suggest that Duffy is reflecting on herself or her past self? If so, how – refer to the rest of the poem.
and take it to the mirror to ask for a gottle of geer?
I rinse it under the tap, watch the dust run away, like sand
from a swimming cap, then dry it – firstborn – gently
with a towel. I see the scar where I fell for sheer love
down treacherous stairs, and read that shattering day like braille.
“I see the scar where I fell for sheer love down treacherous stairs” How could this quotation link to the narrator’s (Duffy) own experiences?
What effect could the juxtaposing words “see”, “read” and “braille” bring to this poem?
Duffy links the skull to inanimate objects throughout the poem, how could this symbolise mortality and death?

8. Stanza 3: and take it to the mirror to ask for a gottle of geer?
“gottle of geer” is a phrase associated with ventriloquism. How could this theme of puppetry as well as control link to this poem?
“gottle of geer” is a phrase in which less skilled ventriloquists often use when trying to pronounce “bottle of beer”.
The theme of control is present here as she has the ability to manipulate it as she pleases.
This conveys her development throughout the poem as earlier we know that she struggled the ‘balance’ the skull.
What could “take it to the mirror” symbolise in this stanza? Could this suggest that Duffy is reflecting on herself or her past self? If so, how – refer to the rest of the poem.
Mirrors create reflections, which could suggest that Duffy could be reflecting on her past self.
The skull is symbolic of the person that she used to be and she can see this by seeing herself and the skull in the same reflection.
and take it to the mirror to ask for a gottle of geer?
I rinse it under the tap, watch the dust run away, like sand
from a swimming cap, then dry it – firstborn – gently
with a towel. I see the scar where I fell for sheer love
down treacherous stairs, and read that shattering day like braille.
What effect could the juxtaposing words “see”, “read” and “braille” bring to this poem?
This clear juxtaposition between these words is that braille is form of writing which allows blind people to read, but ‘see’ is a word involving vision.
“Braille” of course links to being blind, which could suggest that Duffy was blind with love, therefore resulting in her falling down “treacherous stairs”.
“I see the scar where I fell for sheer love down treacherous stairs” How could this quotation link to the narrator’s (Duffy) own experiences?
The fact that Duffy sees this scar and refers to it as “my scar” could suggest that the skull is symbolic of herself and therefore conveys her own experiences.
“the scar where I fell for sheer love” could suggest that this scar is not necessarily a physical one, but an emotional one.
Duffy links the skull to inanimate objects throughout the poem, how could this symbolise mortality and death?
By referring to inanimate objects, Duffy is continuously making links to the themes of mortality and death
The skull is suggested to be hers, by looking at it, Duffy finds herself faced with her own mortality.

9. Stanza 4: Love, I murmur to my skull, then, louder, other grand words,
How do these two to sentences in this stanza portray the idea of self love and realisation?
How does this stanza portray the narrator’s acceptance of her mortality and her inevitable death in the future?
Love, I murmur to my skull, then, louder, other grand words,
shouting the hollow nouns in a white-tiled room.
Downstairs they will think I have lost my mind. No. I only weep
into these holes here, or I’m grinning back at the joke, this is a friend of mine. See, I hold her face in trembling, passionate hands.
What effect is creates by the short sentence “No.” in relation to the sentence before it?
How does this sentence convey the idea of the skull being Duffy’s past self?

10. Stanza 4: Love, I murmur to my skull, then, louder, other grand words,
How do these two to sentences in this stanza portray the idea of self love and realisation?
We, as readers, can see that through not only the personification and Duffy accepting that this broken and imperfect skull is a representation of herself, but also through the intimate and strong words Duffy uses to express the situation.
By admitting “this is a friend of mine” implies that Duffy has finally learned to love herself that she is not her own enemy.
How does this stanza portray the narrator’s acceptance of her mortality and her inevitable death in the future?
This stanza conveys Duffy’s acceptance of her mortality as we see that she is finally showing complete love and passion for the skull.
Duffy is no longer referring to the skull as “it” but as “my” which proves that she is aware that this is her fate.
Love, I murmur to my skull, then, louder, other grand words,
shouting the hollow nouns in a white-tiled room.
Downstairs they will think I have lost my mind. No. I only weep
into these holes here, or I’m grinning back at the joke, this is a friend of mine. See, I hold her face in trembling, passionate hands.
What effect is creates by the short sentence “No.” in relation to the sentence before it?
This is effective as it demonstrates that Duffy does not care for what other people have to think.
The use of the short sentence also emphasises this and makes it stand out more, leaving a harsher effect for the reader.
Maybe she has a mental illness, sat in a white tiled room, talking to herself – 2 personas in her head
How does this sentence convey the idea of the skull being Duffy’s past self?
The use of “trembling, passionate” illustrates strong emotions towards the skull, which proves Duffy cares for the object.
She is perhaps feeling pity and pain for the person she used to be and the pain she went through.