Carol Ann Duffy

Ordinary Level · Leaving Cert Poetry

Carol Ann Duffy writes in plain, modern English about love, war, language and the lives of ordinary people, which makes her one of the most approachable poets on your course. If she comes up on Paper 2, you want two poems you can talk about with confidence.

Duffy was the first woman, the first Scot and the first openly gay poet to be appointed UK Poet Laureate, and she held the post from 2009 to 2019. What matters for you in the exam is her voice: she often speaks through a character or an object, she uses everyday images you already understand, and she is never vague. Read each poem closely and you will find a clear feeling sitting underneath the simple words.

Carol Ann Duffy Poems

Start with these two. Each page gives you the context, the key moments, the themes and the devices you need, all aimed at the Paper 2 prescribed poetry question.