Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

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Key Quotes in Before You Were Mine

Here are some examples of key quotes in Carol Ann Duffy's Before You Were Mine:

‘That glamorous love lasts...'

‘That glamorous love lasts / where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine’.
- This shows the glamour of her mother's life as imagined by the narrator.
- This also shows the narrator's desire to possess even the memories of the past ('before you were mine').

‘The decade ahead...'

‘The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell was the best one eh?’
- In this poem, the poet suggests that motherhood can be a burden, especially compared to the excitement of life before the 'loud, possessive yell' of a child takes over.

1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

1.1When We Two Parted Analysis

1.1.1Summary & Structure

1.1.2Themes: Death & Loss

1.1.3Themes: Time & Anger

1.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons

1.1.5End of Topic Test - When We Two Parted

2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley

2.1Love's Philosophy Analysis

2.1.1Summary & Structure

2.1.2Themes

2.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

2.1.4End of Topic Test - Love's Philosophy

2.1.5Exam-Style Questions - Love's Philosophy

3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

3.1Porphyria’s Lover Analysis

3.1.1Summary & Structure

3.1.2Themes: Porphyria & Violence

3.1.3Themes: Sin & Pathetic Fallacy

3.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Porphyria's Lover

4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis

4.1.1Summary & Structure

4.1.2Themes

4.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

5.1Neutral Tones Analysis

5.1.1Summary & Structure

5.1.2Themes

5.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

5.1.4End of Topic Test - Sonnet 29 & Neutral Tones

6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)

6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis

6.1.1Summary & Structure

6.1.2Themes

6.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)

7.1The Farmer's Bride Analaysis

7.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

7.1.2Themes

7.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

7.1.4End of Topic Test - Dooley & Mew

7.1.5Exam-Style Questions - The Farmer's Bride

8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)

8.1Walking Away Analysis

8.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

8.1.2Themes

8.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)

9.1Eden Rock Analysis

9.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

9.1.2Themes

9.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

9.1.4End of Topic Test - Walking Away & Eden Rock

10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

10.1Follower Analysis

10.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

10.1.2Themes

10.1.3Quotes and Comparisons

11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963

11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis

11.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

11.1.2Themes

11.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

11.1.4End of Topic Test - Follower& Mother, Any Distance

12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis

12.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

12.1.2Themes

12.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)

13.1Winter Swans Analysis

13.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

13.1.2Themes

13.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

13.1.4End of Topic Test - Duffy & Sheers

14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)

14.1Singh Song! Analysis

14.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

14.1.2Themes

14.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis

15.1.1Summary, Structure & Form

15.1.2Themes

15.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons

15.1.4End of Topic Test - Nagra & Waterhouse

16Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1.1Grade 9 - Comparisons

17Recap: Main Quotes

17.1Recap: Main Quotes

17.1.1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

17.1.2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley

17.1.3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

17.1.4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (

17.1.5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

17.1.6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)

17.1.7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)

17.1.8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)

17.1.9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)

17.1.10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

17.1.11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963)

17.1.12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

17.1.13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)

17.1.14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)

17.1.15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

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