Carol Ann Duffy's "Head of English" satirizes the dreary conventionality of a lot of poetry teaching (and poetry teachers). This dramatic monologue's speaker, the conservative old head of the English department at a British girls' school, condescendingly introduces a visiting poet to the class—and reveals a thoroughly unpoetic attitude in the process. Poetry, this poem implies, can be a source of power, joy, and change—but bad teaching can make it seem like a dull and virtuous chore. Duffy first published this poem in her 1985 collection Standing Female Nude.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “Head of English”
The Full Text of “Head of English”
-
“Head of English” Summary
-
-
“Head of English” Themes
-
Poetry and Education
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-30
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Head of English”
-
Lines 1-5
Today we have ...
... Who knows. -
Lines 5-9
Please show your ...
... Still. Never mind. -
Lines 10-12
Whispering's, as always, ...
... paying forty pounds. -
Lines 13-16
Those of you ...
... and so forth. -
Lines 17-18
I've written quite ...
... the Lower Fourth. -
Lines 19-21
Right. That's enough ...
... about the place. -
Lines 22-24
Take notes, but ...
... we don't know. -
Lines 25-27
Well. Really. Run ...
... Applause will do. -
Lines 27-30
Thank you ...
... show you out.
-
-
“Head of English” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Irony
Where irony appears in the poem:- Lines 1-30
-
Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Line 16: “Season of mists and so on and so forth.”
- Line 18: “am doing Kipling with the Lower Fourth.”
- Line 19: “Right. That's enough from me. On with the Muse.”
-
Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “Perhaps / we're going to witness verse hot from the press.”
- Lines 20-21: “We don't / want winds of change about the place.”
- Line 26: “an insight to an outside view.”
-
Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “Perhaps / we're”
- Lines 5-6: “appreciation / by”
- Lines 6-7: “Now / sit”
- Lines 7-8: “Remember / the”
- Lines 13-14: “Language / see”
- Lines 14-15: “fortunate / to”
- Lines 20-21: “don't / want”
- Lines 22-23: “essay / on”
- Lines 25-26: “sure / that”
- Lines 27-28: “you / very”
- Lines 28-29: “Lunch / in”
- Lines 29-30: “Unfortunately / I”
-
End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 1: “class.”
- Line 2: “book.”
- Line 4: “press.”
- Line 9: “mind.”
- Line 11: “questions.”
- Line 12: “pounds.”
- Line 15: “midst. ”
- Line 16: “forth.”
- Line 18: “Fourth.”
- Line 19: “Muse.”
- Line 21: “place.”
- Line 23: “go.”
- Line 24: “know.”
- Line 26: “view.”
- Line 30: “out.”
-
Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 2: “poet,” “published”
- Line 7: “sit,” “straight”
- Line 12: “paying,” “pounds”
- Line 15: “midst”
- Line 16: “mists”
- Line 21: “want winds”
- Line 22: “write reams”
- Line 25: “Really. Run”
-
Understatement
Where understatement appears in the poem:- Lines 8-9: “for not all poems, / sadly, rhyme these days. Still. Never mind.”
- Lines 25-26: “Well. Really. Run along now, girls. I'm sure / that gave an insight to an outside view.”
-
Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 3: “girls. Perhaps”
- Line 5: “ knows. Please”
- Line 6: “clapping. Not,” “loud. Now”
- Line 7: “listen. Remember”
- Line 8: “assonance, for”
- Line 9: “sadly, rhyme,” “days. Still. Never”
- Line 10: “Whispering's, as always, out”
- Line 12: “all, we're”
- Line 14: “break. We're”
- Line 19: “Right. That's,” “me. On”
- Line 20: “back. We”
- Line 22: “notes, but,” “reams. Just”
- Line 23: “themes. Fine. Off”
- Line 25: “Well. Really. Run,” “now, girls. I'm”
- Line 27: “do. Thank”
- Line 28: “today. Lunch”
- Line 29: “hall? Do,” “about. Unfortunately”
- Line 30: “dash. Tracey”
-
-
“Head of English” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Assonance
- In our midst
- Season of mists
- The Lower Fourth
- Kipling
- The Muse
- Reams
-
(Location in poem: Lines 7-8: “Remember / the lesson on assonance”)
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Head of English”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Head of English” Speaker
-
-
“Head of English” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Head of English”
-
-
More “Head of English” Resources
-
External Resources
-
The Poem Aloud — Listen to a witty performance of the poem.
-
Duffy on the Power of Poetry — Read an article about Duffy's recent Pandemic Poetry project; Duffy discusses how poetry can help people through troubled times.
-
Duffy as Poet Laureate — Listen to an interview with Duffy in which she discusses her appointment as the first female Poet Laureate of the UK.
-
A Brief Biography — Learn more about Duffy's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.
-
Duffy's Influence — Read an article by novelist Jeanette Winterson in which she discusses Duffy's poetry—and especially Duffy's belief that poetry should be a pleasure.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
