"The Dolphins," by Carol Ann Duffy, is told from the perspective of dolphins living in captivity. Having once freely roamed the ocean, the dolphins lament the limitations of the artificial pool to which they've been relegated as well as having to perform mindless tricks for audiences. The poem illustrates the cruelty of confining one of nature's most intelligent creatures for the sake of human entertainment, while also more broadly critiquing humanity's domination and exploitation of nature. "The Dolphins" was published in Duffy's first full poetry collection, Standing Female Nude, in 1985.
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The Full Text of “The Dolphins”
The Full Text of “The Dolphins”
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“The Dolphins” Summary
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“The Dolphins” Themes
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Confinement, Exploitation, and Despair
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 2-6
- Lines 10-12
- Lines 13-14
- Lines 17-18
- Lines 19-24
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Humanity vs. Nature
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 5-6
- Lines 7-14
- Lines 19-24
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Dolphins”
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Lines 1-3
World is what ...
... breathe for long. -
Lines 4-6
The other has ...
... constant flowing guilt. -
Lines 7-12
We have found ...
... is the man. -
Lines 13-18
And now we ...
... man has disappeared. -
Lines 19-21
The moon has ...
... own to stone. -
Lines 22-24
There is a ...
... will die here.
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“The Dolphins” Symbols
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The Disappearing Moon
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 19: “The moon has disappeared.”
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The Man
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 5-6: “There is a man / and there are hoops.”
- Lines 11-12: “It is / the same space always and above it is the man.”
- Lines 17-18: “There is a coloured ball / we have to balance till the man has disappeared.”
- Line 24: “There is a man and our mind knows we will die here.”
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“The Dolphins” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Anthropomorphism
Where anthropomorphism appears in the poem:- Line 2
- Lines 4-18
- Lines 19-21
- Lines 22-24
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Anaphora
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Line 4: “The other has,” “The other's movement”
- Line 5: “There is a man”
- Line 6: “There is a constant flowing guilt.”
- Line 7: “We have found”
- Line 9: “We were blessed”
- Lines 11-12: “It was the same space. It is / the same space”
- Line 22: “There is a plastic toy. There is no hope.”
- Line 24: “There is a man”
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Repetition
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 1: “World”
- Line 2: “We are in our element but we are not free.”
- Line 3: “world”
- Lines 4-5: “The other has my shape. The other's movement / forms my thoughts.”
- Line 5: “There is a man”
- Line 7: “no truth”
- Line 8: “no explanations”
- Line 9: “We were blessed and now we are not blessed.”
- Lines 11-12: “It was the same space. It is / the same space always and above it is the man.”
- Line 13: “And now we are no longer blessed,” “world”
- Line 14: “The other knows”
- Line 18: “till the man has disappeared.”
- Line 19: “The moon has disappeared.”
- Line 21: “the other's heart”
- Line 24: “There is a man and our mind knows we will die here.”
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Simile
Where simile appears in the poem:- Lines 16-17: “We see our silver skin flash by like memory / of somewhere else.”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “World,” “what,” “swim,” “simple”
- Line 4: “movement”
- Line 5: “mine,” “man”
- Line 7: “truth”
- Line 8: “tremble”
- Line 10: “traveling,” “such,” “space”
- Line 11: “translate,” “same,” “space”
- Line 12: “same,” “space”
- Line 14: “deepen,” “dream”
- Line 16: “see,” “silver,” “skin”
- Line 17: “somewhere,” “ball”
- Line 18: “balance”
- Line 19: “We,” “well,” “worn”
- Line 20: “water”
- Line 24: “man,” “mind”
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“The Dolphins” 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.
- Element
- Translate
- Well-worn
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(Location in poem: Line 2: “We are in our element but we are not free.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Dolphins”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Dolphins” Speaker
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“The Dolphins” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Dolphins”
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More “The Dolphins” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Watch a short, animated reading of "The Dolphins."
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Learn More About Carol Ann Duffy — A biography of the poet from the Poetry Foundation.
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"How Dolphinariums, Marine Parks, and Aquariums Shows Are Deeply Cruel" — Read an article which explains why dolphins and other big, intelligent marine animals don't belong in captivity.
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A Short Documentary on Dolphins — A National Geographic feature exploring the intelligence of dolphins.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
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