Shakeel- A child’s sleep
1. Why did Duffy choose a seemingly ordinary moment for a parent
watching their child sleep to explore the theme of parental love?
ANS: Duffy choses to explore the theme of parental love through a
parent watching their child sleep. Duffy has crafted this to emphasize
the simple, peaceful, and fluid nature of the child’s sleep. Plus, the
serene surroundings provide memories for the mother, in which the
mother is fighting between not wanting to disturb her and wanting
to enjoy the calmness of the moment. In addition, Duffy describes
the child resembling in a small forest. She describes it has a magical
place in which the child resides, and the mother sees her as being
the sole resident of the woods. Again, it shows not just that the
child’s sleep is peaceful and calm but also is holy in which Duffy can
establish a theme of parental love.
2 and 3. At points in the poem, how and why does Duffy use
contrast? How is the moon symbolic of the mother/parent?
Duffy uses contrast through the use of things which is related to
darkness. Most of her poems, Duffy’s use of the darkness mostly
creates a sinister and violent tone, however, in this poem it is more
peaceful. Duffy uses contrast through things and places such as “the
moon” and “the forest”. For example, “Her sleep was a small wood,
perfumed with flowers; dark, peaceful, sacred,”. This shows that the
surrounding in which the child resides, smell vibrantly like “flowers”.
“Dark” usually has negative connotations, however, another
impression is given when the words “peaceful” and “sacred” follow.
This is because even though the word dark can suggest something
more sinister, the relaxed tone created by the following words
suggest something positive and also shows that the child is enjoying
her sleep. Plus, Duffy’s description of the forest also creates a
contrast in terms peacefulness and past. For example, in stanza 3:
“And she was the spirit that lives in the heart of such woods; without
time, without history, wordlessly good.”. The phrase: “wordlessly
good” creates a feeling of “goodness” which inhabits the place and
radiates out from her child. “she was the spirit that lives in the heart
of the forest”; the noun “heart “connotes love and peace. This
metaphor shows that the child was the “heart”, the “light” to all of
the darkness of the wood. Again, her contrast of light and darkness
suggests how much she loves the child despite all the darkness she
experienced in her life – the one thing that will always remain a
constant positive. Also, the repetition of “w” is a contrast to the “t”
sounds at the end of “without”. The “w” makes it sound smooth,
whilst the “t” sounds harsh and quick. Again, this might also show
that the mother doesn’t have enough time to love her child’s sleep.
And the quote: “the world is without history” shows that there is no
pressure or worries about the past. Additionally, Duffy used the
moon to aid her description of the child’s sleep. In stanza 4: “then
went to the window. The greater dark outside the room gazed back,
maternal, wise, with its face of moon”. This shows that the mother
turns away from the child and moves to the window to look out into
the night. She contemplates about what it means to be at peace and
what it is to be a mother. As she stares at the outside she feels as if
the face of the moon is staring back at her. In which it suggests that
Duffy creates a contrast by showing the moon having similar
characteristics as the mother. The moon also brings light which has a
positive connotation, in which it provides happiness to the child (
child’s source of happiness), just like the mother. The presence of the
moon enables the mother to feel as though it understands her as is
maternal and wise. I believe that Duffy creates contrast to establish
a theme of love and peacefulness throughout the poem in which it
allows a smooth and serene tone in the poem.
4. What is Duffy’s message in the poem?
Through the use of a variety of different poetic devices and
establishing comparisons between the child’s sleep, Duffy effectively
provokes thought and engages readers as she uniquely expresses the
irrevocable love of a mother and child and articulated gratitude for
the beauty of innocence of a sleeping child. (fun fact and I
researched this that : Duffy had a daughter from her first marriage,
and she is the only child has. Soon after giving birth, Duffy came
clean about her sexuality. Maybe this has some sort of link when
Duffy describes about the problems that both the speaker and the
child will face in the future in the poem) .
Type of feeling Quote
of love towards
the child
Maternal
“although I could
not enter there,
I could not
leave.”
“maternal, wise,
with its face of
moon”
Explanation
The speaker/mother does not spend time
describing her physical observations of the child,
but instead heavily focuses on what the child can
hear and imagine. The first thing she does is she
hears is the sound of her breathing. This is a tense,
but also a peaceful moment. The speaker does not
wish to disturb her child, but also cannot seem to
pull herself away. She must find a balance between
these two states. Again, these shows that the
mother is trying to protect but at the same time
does not want to disturb her child, this shows the
mother’s love towards her child and the fact that
the mother wants the her child to be happy and
peaceful. Again, this creates a comparison, where
the mother is the one who is able to experience
and advice the child when she is disturbed and are
in trouble, whereas the father is the one who
shows most the dominance. Additionally, the
mother speaks of her child’s sleep as being
something that she “could not enter”. There is no
way for her to join her child in her particular sleep,
Unconditional
love
“wordlessly
good”
“sacred,
acred in hours.”
“hearing her
breathe;”
she can only imagine what she might be dreaming.
This is emphasized in the next line in which she
states that she is unable to “leave.” This can be
interpreted as meaning that she physically doesn’t
feel as if she can leave the room, but also that she
can’t stop imagining what might be going on in her
child’s head. This portrays the strength of the
mother and child’s relationship as imagining what
her child is thinking of is a strange feeling, in which
not every mother can do. The quote: “the room
gazed back, maternal, wise, with its face of moon”
shows that the mother turns away from the child
and moves to the window to look out into the
night. She contemplates about what it means to be
at peace and what it is to be a mother. As she stares
the outside she feels as if the face of the moon is
staring back at her. In which it suggests that Duffy
creates a contrast by showing the moon having
similar characteristics as the mother. The moon
also brings light which has a positive connotation,
in which it provides happiness to the child (child’s
source of happiness), just like the mother. The
presence of the moon enables the mother to feel
as though it understands her as is maternal and
wise. Plus, the use of moon reflecting light
suggests that Duffy establishes a sort of
reflection/contemplation which shows that
weather the speaker is a good mother to her child.
The adverb “wordlessly” portrays how you cannot
explain how innocent and important her child is;
just like a mother who cannot express her feeling
and love for child. This a feeling that every mother
experiences. Duffy’s use of “sacred” creates
religious references which highlights how precious
and important the child is to her and emphasises
Enduring love
“without time,
without history,”
“perfumed with
flowers”
the fact that her loss is unbearable to her mother.
The phrase: “acred in love “emphasises the
measure of distance which suggests that she’s in a
very deep sleep which connotes to a sense of
timelessness. Her world of sleep and her dreams is
also vast, which parallels to the mother’s love to
her child. Additionally, the verb “hearing” implies
that is soothing and a source of calmness for the
mother watching her daughter in peace. The verb
“breathe” is also symbolic of life which makes the
mother satisfied and proud of her child which
shows her adoration and unconditional love for
her child.
The quote “without time, without history”
suggests the fact that the relationship between
the mother and her child is “perpetual” and when
Duffy uses the word “history” it clearly indicates
that any events or consequences experienced in
the future or the past will never affect or
deteriorate the relationship of the mother and the
child, showing the love is “enduring”.
Furthermore, the adjective “perfumed “suggests
her daughter’s sweetness and kindness which aids
their love/relationship to be longer. Additionally,
the smell of a flower is “natural” and “longlasting” which parallels the mother and the child’s
relationship being long term and instinctive.
How does Duffy communicate feelings of love in the poem, A Child’s
Sleep?
Duffy communicates the feelings of love in the poem, A Child’s sleep
through the themes of happiness and maternal love and by the
establishment of contrast and imagery. Duffy is writing in the
perspective of a mother. The poem mainly focuses on the image of a
sleeping child and emphasizing the tranquillity and composure of
that special moment for the mother.
In stanza 1, line 1 to 4, it is written as “I stood at the edge of my
child’s sleep, hearing her breathe; although I could not enter there, I
could not leave.” This sentence is the mother describing the
situation, where she is standing at the edge of her daughter’s bed
who is sleeping soundly, and her thoughts relative to the sight in
front of her. On the other hand, there are different ways to interpret
this sentence. An example of what we can infer from this sentence
would be the possible religious reference. The child might view her
mother as a protector and a guardian as written in the first line, the
mother says, “I stood at the edge of my child’s sleep.” By saying she
stood at the edge might be like standing at the edge of a cliff or a
high point. Standing at a high point resembles looking over people
like a ruler over their kingdom. Furthermore, the child appears to be
brought up in a good household. In the second line, the word
“breathe “could be an indicator to how the child is raised. Here,
there is no mention of rough or fast breaths, which suggests that the
child is not nervous or in in immediate danger as the mindset of
someone affects the way they sleep at night. By simply saying
“breathe, it implies that the child is breathing softly and is sleeping
well. We are able to see that the child is having a good sleep; the
child had a trusting attitude towards someone as they were nurtured
well by the mother. The child who sleeps well has a positive attitude
towards her mother and how she was raised. The second line also
features imagery. By stating that the mother was “hearing her
breathe”, as there no visual aid (the atmosphere) we imagine a
darkroom. Darkness, in some ways, symbolizes peace instead of
anger. When we enter a room and the lights are on, the lights affect
our eyes and we adjust to our surroundings which can have a
possible indication of being overwhelming. However, when we enter
a room with no lights, we heavily rely on sound (the sense of
hearing). Without the lights and the visuals of the atmosphere
dominating and disturbing the child’s sleep, the darkness of the
room appears to be peaceful and aids the child’s sleep. Duffy
continues these smoothly in the next two lines when she says:
“although I could not enter there, I could not leave.”.
Stanza 2 also features a lot of imagery in which the speaker engages.
The mother imagines the best possible world for her daughter which
is crafted and constructed with dreams which is in a “small wood”.
The surroundings in which her child resides and represents, smell
vibrantly like “flowers”. This is symbolic of delicate and innocence
and also adds to the semantic field of nature which shows that the
child’s sleep and love from the mother is natural and long-lasting.
They are “dark, but “also “peaceful “and “sacred” which creates a
serene and smooth tone which parallels to the child’s sleep as being
slow and gentle. The adjective “sacred” brings a religious tone which
emphasises the love from the child’s mother and the protection
given by god and the mother to not disturb or interpret the child’s
sleep.
In the third stanza the description of the child’s sleep is being
continued. The mother has already crafted a world of magical peace
for her daughter to reside and sleep, but now she creates a new
sense of being for her child. The woods where the child lives is
notably beautiful, but nothing come close to the child who has “the
spirit that lives / in the heart of such woods.” This quote resonates
the feeling of enchantment. The noun “spirit” connotes willpower
and happiness. Additionally, the “heart of such woods” illustrates the
fact that the woods are full of life and she is the soul of the woods in
which the woods might connote that they are there to protect and
guard the child. Furthermore, the child emits the majestic feeling for
her mother as she does as a spirit in her sleep. This is something
significant that Duffy has added because so far now, Duffy has only
described the mother’s love but now we can reinforce the fact that
the child is the only source of happiness for the mother. Plus, the
place she lives is “without time”. There is no pressure or problems in
the future that will deteriorate the speaker’s and the child’s
relationship, which shows the unconditional and enduring love
between them. Also, the use of “without history” shows that there is
nothing to live up to or worry about the past consequences. This
shows that the strong relationship between the mother and the child
has crafted a new path of life which is composed of love and other
good things. In addition, the adverb “wordlessly” portrays how you
cannot explain how innocent and important her child is; just like a
mother who cannot express her feeling and love for child. This a
universal feeling that every mother experiences.
In the fourth stanza, the mother “spoke her name”. The mother
should have done this as a way of comfort and also to emphasise
how precious she is, not just in a child-mother relationship but in all
aspects. Additionally, a very significant use of this at the ending of
poem creates an irresistible tone which shows that the mother can’t
control herself physically and mentally on how much she loves her.
As well as this, Duffy uses the metaphor “a pebble dropped” to
explain the sound effects of the mother’s sound in her child’s dream.
The noun “pebble” creates a peaceful “ECHO” sound which has slight
effect in the child’s sleep.
In the final stanza, the mother is turning away from her child. She
moves to the window of the room and stares the moon. As she
stares the outside she feels as if the face of the moon is staring back
at her. In which it suggests that Duffy creates a contrast by showing
the moon having similar characteristics as the mother. The moon
also brings light which has a positive connotation, in which it
provides happiness to the child (child’s source of happiness), just like
the mother. The presence of the moon enables the mother to feel as
though it understands her as maternal and wise. Plus, the use of
moon reflecting light suggests that Duffy establishes a sort of
reflection/contemplation which shows that weather the speaker is a
good mother to her child.
Plus, I believe that the structure and tone of the poem might have
some sort a link on Duffy’s communication of love in the poem. In
this poem, the pattern remains consistent throughout the poem and
has been crafted at a specific way which allows Duffy to emphasise
the simple, peaceful, and smooth nature of the child sleeping almost
mirroring a lullaby. The structure is well constructed which parallels
to how peaceful and constructive the child’s sleep is. Constant
rhyming creates a sort of a magical tone which makes the child’s
sleep sacred. “A Child’s Sleep” is a unique in a way compared to her
other poems as this particular one features a mother who watches
over her child. Most of her poems are mostly about
construction/destruction of self, in other word self hatred, gender
issues, modern culture, and many different forms of alienation,
oppression and social inequality. She has writing style that mostly is
about criticizing the society and uses conversational language and
monologues mostly in third or first perspective of a person who does
bad to the society. The most common theme of all her poems has a
link to violence or isolation, but this poem is opposite of it all. The
poem is composed of peace and calm which brings the perfect
perspective of all mothers.
Really good, Shakeel! You’ve really developed your writing style and I
can see you’re enjoying poetry and have a firm grasp on it as texts
we’re studying and the form itself. Well done for completing.