Liar Carol Ann Duffy Objectives To be able

Liar Carol Ann Duffy

Objectives � To be able to comment on what the poet thinks about liars and lying in general. � To understand how language and structure are used.

Glossary Euphemism = A phrase that makes something seem less worse/shocking (‘he passed away’ instead ‘he died’) Extended metaphor = when a metaphor is carried on over a few sentences or a whole piece of writing.

Starter – Thinking Points � Why do we lie? � Have you ever had a lie get out of hand? � Can lying ever be justified?

Task Read through the poem twice. Write your own summary of the poem at the top of the page. You can ask me ONE question to help your understanding of the poem…. choose wisely.

Questions 1. Who is the woman in the poem? 2. How does the tone of the poem shift as it goes on? 3. Why is the psychiatrist significant? 4. Why is the poem called Liar?

Liar The poem is a complicated exploration of a cross dresser and a habitual liar. But it is also about how we judge people and whether we have the right to judge them.

Title 1. What connotations do we have with the word liar? 2. How is this word different to the first four words of the poem?

Stanza 1 1. 2. 3. 4. What is shocking about the first and second line? What are the liar’s clothes like? What does this tell us about her personality? ‘He was called Susan…’ What does this contrast create in the reader? What does she have to do in the mirror? Why?

Stanza 2 1. 2. 3. What is the effect of the repetition of the phrase ‘of course’? What does this tell us about her life? The question in line 2 suggests she is talking to someone. Who? What does the poet think of the liar’s stories in the final line?

Extended metaphor We are shown an extended metaphor in this stanza looking at the idea of rope. 1. How do we normally view rope? 2. How is the rope presented here? 3. What does this tell us about the liar?

Stanza 3 1. 2. 3. 4. What feeling does the speaker express to the liar’s story abut lightning in line 1? What does the alliteration in line 14 emphasise? What is the metaphor in lines 14 and 15? How does she see the lies? What are the ripples referring to? The metaphor ‘our secret films are private affairs’ suggests what about all of us?

Stanza 4 1. 2. 3. What major event occurs in this stanza? What has her lying led to? How is the judge similar to the liar in line 21? How is the doctor delusional? What does this suggest about judging others?

Structure We hear the liar’s voice a number of times as of she is speaking to us. We are even spoken to directly by the poet in line 21. Why does Carol Ann Duffy do this?

Task Are we right to judge others? How does the poem explore this idea in the poem ‘Liar’