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In this poem Carol Ann Duffy speaks in the voice of anthropomorphised captive dolphins that are confined in pools for the entertainment of the paying public. The poet imagines herself in the...
- Summary
- Structure
- Literary Devices
- Analysis of Dolphins
The poem begins with the speakerdefining the world as the space where one exists. To the dolphins in captivity, the world is the pool. They know very well the world they were taken from, the open ocean, and now have to contend with a future of confinement. There are only men and hoops and endless circles around the pool. The dolphin speaker goes on...
‘Dolphins’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a four stanza poem that is divided into even sets of six lines, or sextets. These sextets do not follow a specific pattern of rhyme, but that does not mean that there isn’t a rhyme present in the text. For example, there are moments of internal rhymebetween words that do not correspond at the end of lines. At the en...
‘Dolphins’ by Carol Ann Duffy contains several literary devices. Likewise, alliterationis an important technique that pops up in the poem. It occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin with the same letter. A reader can see it happening with phrases such as “silver skin” or “deepen to dream”. The most imp...
Stanza One
In the first stanza of this piece, the speaker begins by stating that the world which one interacts with is the world that is real. This means that if you “swim” or “dance” in a space, that is your world. The speaker, who is revealed to be a collective of dolphins, states that dolphins in captivity are “in [their] element but…not free.” This line is particularly impactful as Duffy uses the cliche phrase “in our element.” It takes on an important second meaning in that water is an element in a...
Stanza Two
In the waters of the theme park, the dolphins have “found no truth”. There is nothing familiar about the world they’re forced to live in. They can’t tap into the history of their “flesh”. The speaker makes use of a simple way of describing what happened to them. They were “blessed” in their previous world, and in this one, they “are not blessed.” In lines four through six the dolphin speaker/s explains how they came to understand their new, confining space. They traveled it for “days” and the...
Stanza Three
In the third stanza, the speaker uses the word “blessed” again. They know that they are “no longer blessed” because the world doesn’t actlike it used to. It will not “deepen to dream in.” This contrasts with what they knew before. The oceans were to them a world that reflected back their own selves. There are moments in which they see one another, and the flash of “silver skin” and think they are somewhere else. It brings up a memory of the past in which they were free to swim and be with oth...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
- “The Dolphins” Summary.
- “The Dolphins” Themes. 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.
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Dolphins” Lines 1-3. World is what ... ... breathe for long. Lines 4-6. The other has ... constant flowing guilt.
- “The Dolphins” Symbols. The Disappearing Moon. Where this symbol appears in the poem: Line 19: “The moon has disappeared.” The Man.
Nov 27, 2022 · The Dolphins is a dramatic monologue that expresses the sorrow and frustration of dolphins confined in aquariums or water-parks. The poem explores the themes of freedom, cruelty, and empathy through the dolphins' perspective and language.
- Shreya Kashyap
Carol Ann Duffy, through her poem, “The Dolphins”, talks about the poor plight (condition) of the dolphins. Dolphins are known for being man’s friend in the water but humans mistreat their kind nature.
Dec 27, 2023 · A dramatic monologue by a dolphin that exposes the themes of exploitation, displacement, alienation and ecological conservation. The poem depicts the dolphins' loss of freedom, identity and truth in the aquarium, and their awareness of their fate.
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Feb 22, 2018 · “The dolphins” is a dramatic monologue written by Carol Ann Duffy from the perspective of a dolphin who has lost the freedom it enjoyed in the ocean and is now trapped in an artificial swimming pool. This poem brings into limelight the emotions and sufferings of a dolphin subjected to confinement.
