Customer Reviews

Mean Time

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I won't bore anyone with my interpretations of the work, a little patience and a little insight will yield your own conclusions. But i do recommend investing that time, this collection is one of the finest i have encountered and i return to it as i might to an old friend. Other reviewers have criticised it for being repetetive, but where one deals with the major themes that poets tend to grapple with, such 'repetition' is apt to happen. It is the refreshing way in which she deals with universal themes that marks this book out as one which will endure. Duffy is one of the brightest contemporary talents, do not be put off by those who were forced to study the work and somehow bypassed its beauty, this is a deeply moving collection, with a fair bite of sharp humour - enjoy.

Mean Time is a thoroughly original and refreshing work. Duffy tackles a range of subjects and emotions with complexity and skill. Particularly interesting is the confidence with which Duffy tackles 'taboo' subjects. She presents sensitive issues and is unafraid to use unconventional language. She does not aim to offend but to provoke thought and allow the reader to shape an intelligent picture of modern day life. Cliche Kid, for example, is a humorous though touching study of homosexuality whilst Before You Were Mine serves as a poignant love poem from Duffy to her mother. In Valentine Duffy urges readers to be honest about relationships as she examines an onion, a refreshing image of love that is highly typical of the Duffy style. It is in poems like Moments of Grace that Duffy comes into her own as she depicts those occasional moments of spirituality that warm and enrich an otherwise bleak and valueless society.Duffy is clearly one of the most relevant poets of the day.

Let me begin by saying that Carol Ann Duffy is a poetic genius. She stands alone in the world of poetry with an extreme confidence to tackle taboo subjects such as sex and disease etc. which other poets wouldn't dare speak about. For example; in `Litany' Duffy speaks of subjects that others don't tend to speak of in standard, conventional poems.

"where no one has cancer, or sex, or debts, and certainly not leukaemia , which no one could spell"

Some people may assume that Duffy's work represents the pessimistic views of today's society, but in my opinion, the way you interpret the poets is a personal touch to the understanding of the poems. Duffy has an extreme talent for stimulating the imagination and creativity of her audiences.

`Mean Time' reflects life experiences by Duffy herself which she interpreted and condensed into an anthology of profound poems. My personal favourite from `Mean Time' is `Welltread' as it represents schools in a stereotypical way. For example; in every school there is always one teacher that purposely attempts to intimidate his students, the one person everyone is scared of. This poem also portrays how small situations, when you are young can stay with you for the rest of your life.

"Still smoudlering"

This anthology is for you if you enjoy reading poems that are profound and have meaning. Carol Ann Duffy does not specialise in romanticism like many other conventional poets, but down-to-earth, realistic situations, which everyone can relate to in some shape or form.

I honestly enjoyed analysing this anthology of poems for my English literature A-level, but if I weren't specialising in English, I would've read `Mean Time' for pleasure anyway.

This anthology truly reflects Carol Ann Duffy's best work, and is well worth the time and money.

In my opinion, and i confess this is all i can offer, is that those who do not, or cannot understand and appreciate Duffy's work should not critisize it. Duffy is a highly complex poet who skillfully creates a palimphset of images and meanings. Those who interpret her poetry as one-dimentional and unvarying in theme simply lack the vision or the energy to look more deeply into the poetry. Duffy's words have the power to reach into your heart and touch you to the point of tears or to make you laugh out loud, those who remain un-moved are sadly numb to the raw emotion of her outpourings. The vibrant humour, vivid descriptions and at times brutal honesty these collected poems has made Duffy one of my favourite poets of all time.

I think the poems in 'Mean Time' are remarkable, so much so that I believe this selection should be made compulsory for GCSE level English. Duffy after all touches on so many tragedies endemic to the human condition which, while poignant, are also important to take note of. Such tragedies include our inability as humans to return to our past lives, a theme which is evocatively predominant in Beachcomber. Other tragedies include the potential for time to steal loved ones from us, and the innate loneliness that accompanies old age.

It is after all important to take note of those moments in time which no matter how hard we try we will never be able to get back to. Duffy herself notes that (i'm paraphrasing here), we're all owed happiness sooner or later. The tricks to remember when we achieved it or to see it coming. After all if we do not take note of such happy experiences as those described in 'The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team' or 'Moments of Grace', what would we possibily have to comfort us in our older years when we seem to be surrounded by nothing but loneliness?

DUFFY FRANKLY LOST ME AFTER THE FIRST LOT OF POEMS, WHAT WAS HER POLITICAL PURPOSE? IT HARD ENOUGH TRYING TO STUDY IT FOR A LEVEL. CAN ANY ONE REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY SHE FELT IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE HER POEMS EXPLICIT, IF THIS IS THE STANDARD OF MODERN POETRY TODAY THEN I MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW!

Is this the state of modern poetry? Duffy has been strangley credited for being original but her political and sociological comments are overdone and attempts to be witty are just dull. On the good side, she writes nice love poems, but unforunately it has all been done before. The theme of loss is well done to start but starts to get 'samey'

I have the unfortunate task of having to study this 'poet',as part of my 'A' level English course.
I find her poetry to be very limited in imagination, merely concentrating on a very narrow view of issues that obviously she, is passionate about. I feel that this limits her ability as a poet to see things from a different perspective other than her own,but,what do I know,I am merely a student!.

After reading this book for my as level English Literature course I realised that Carol Ann Duffy's poems are very limited in topics and I'd like to take this chance to express my disappointment. For a poet who's supposed to be well known for being a "representative poet of the present day" she doesn't include very many ideas!!

I was subjected to many months of torture reading through these poems, one by one, taking notes on the blatently obvious.

The captain of the 1964 top of the form team- thinking back to childhood
Litany- thinking back to childhood.
Stafford Afternoons- thinking back to childhood.

This is what my notes consisted of after all the time spent on them. I was very disappointed in value for money. Bring back Keats into the classroom!

DUFFY FRANKLY LOST ME AFTER THE FIRST LOT OF POEMS, WHAT WAS HER POLITICAL PURPOSE? IT HARD ENOUGH TRYING TO STUDY IT FOR A LEVEL. CAN ANY ONE REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY SHE FELT IT IMPORTANT TO MAKE HER POEMS EXPLICIT, IF THIS IS THE STANDARD OF MODERN POETRY TODAY THEN I MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW!