Carol Ann Duffy - Little Red Cap

At childhood's end, the houses petered out
into playing fields, the factory allotments
kept, like mistresses, by kneeling married men,
the silent railway line, the hermit's caravan,
till you came at last to the edge of the woods.
It was there that I first clapped eyes on the wolf.

Stanza 1 Analysis:
- "At childhood's end" suggests a journey into adolescence, almost a loss of childish purity and innocence. This is further highlighted by "the edge of the woods" which connotes being at the edge of an emotional cliff about to spiral into the unknown world of puberty and knowledge.

- "kept, like mistresses by kneeling married men" is the first feminist comment within the collection and portrays men being in firm control whilst at the same time "kneeling" suggests a form of reverence and sincerity. The use of the word "mistresses" highlights a secrecy to the pleasure they find within "the factory, allotments" etc. First sense of this place being filled with suppression and underground emotion, hiding desires beneath manual labour etc.

- "silent railway line" connotes an absence of travel, maybe in this ordered and potentially religiously orientated, "kneeling", there is no journey but instead a flat preconcieved idea of life. This stillness is contrasted by "the hermit's caravan", alone, religious and nomadic such people travel freely but in doing so seem to carry the burden of the label "hermit".

He stood in a clearing, reading his verse out loud
in his wolfy drawl, a paperback in his hairy paw,
red wine staining his bearded jaw. What big ears
he had! What big eyes he had! What teeth!
In the interval, I made quite sure he spotted me,
sweet sixteen, never been, babe, waif, and bought me a drink,

Stanza 2 Analysis:
- "He stood in a clearing, reading his verse out loud" portrays how the wolf became easily apparent to Red Cap, different and alone - sole, individual. He is confident and expresses himself freely through his work. Probably detailed as such to portray Adrien Henry, Duffy's ex-husband whom she was married to for 10 years.

- "red wine staining his bearded jaw", if we take this as an autobiographical account this statement shows Duffy's own youthful naiviety as those who understand the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood" are aware of how the wolf decieves the heroine and is more at home with images of blood and mutilation. Duffy seems to be portraying a similar trap but more in keeping with sophistication and expression of art.

- "What big eyes he had! What teeth!", as to any adolescent the idea of danger is portrayed as enthralling and an excitement builds within the formulation of sentences and use of punctuation. The last line is short and rhythmical as if the wolf were "eyeing" her up as if reading off a menu details of his next meal/victim (?)

my first. You might ask why. Here's why. Poetry.
The wolf, I knew, would lead me deep into the woods,
away from home, to a dark tangled thorny place
lit by the eyes of owls. I crawled in his wake,
my stockings ripped to shreds, scraps of red from my blazer
snagged on twig and branch, murder clues. I lost both shoes

Stanza 3 Analysis:
- The initial enjambement of "my first" seems an appropriate title to the next few stanzas which describe her first encounter of sex and animalistic lust. This interruption also may present an idea of distortion of thought or lack of bearing - wolf pushing her off the organised path she was following.

- "The wolf, I knew, would lead me deep into the woods...to a dark tangled thorny place" It seems that whilst in the previous stanze Duffy portrays her naiviety in this she shows her willingness and knowledge of the wolf's intentions. This is again twisted however as she uses the word "crawled" which connotes infancy and it seems that she is caught between childhood and adolescence.

- The consistent imagery of being stripped of her clothes "my stockings ripped to shreds..." seems also to symbolise the stripping or discarding of her childhood. As "scraps" from her (possibly) uniform become removed she describes them as "murder clues" which seems to possess an air of rather than discarding her innocence willingly being forced into it. Furthermore the loss of such items seem to portray the loss of her bearing as she gets entrapped by lust - as in Hansel & Gretal her clothes may provide a way back home?

but got there, wolf's lair, better beware. Lesson one that night,
breath of the wolf in my ear, was the love poem.
I clung till dawn to his thrashing fur, for
what little girl doesn't dearly love a wolf?
Then I slid from between his hairy matted paws
and went in search of a living bird - white dove -

Stanza 4 Analysis:
- "Lesson one that night, breath of the wolf in my ear, was the love poem", childishly again she views this experience as a lesson with a teacher however sadly this lesson seems to involve her need for the realisation that the breath of a pre-orgasmic wolf is not love but is indeed mere lust. As this poem is all in hindsight Duffy seems to show how such realisation occurred too late.

- "clung till dawn to his thrashing fur" Duffy again shows a childish side, the word "clung" connoting holding for protection and strength rather than suggesting any enjoyable experience. The question "what little girl doesn't dearly love a wolf?" seems also to break the barrier between poem and reader as Duffy seems to be asking for justification.

- "went in search for a living bird - white dove", the white dove is a symbol of peace and purity and Duffy's search of it shows her desire to cancel out her sins and seek something to make her feel secure once again.

which flew, straight, from my hands to his open mouth.
One bite, dead. How nice, breakfast in bed, he said,
licking his chops. As soon as he slept, I crept to the back
of the lair, where a whole wall was crimson, gold, aglow with books.
Words, words were truly alive on the tongue, in the head,
warm, beating, frantic, winged; music and blood.

Stanza 5 Analysis:
- The imagery of the white dove immediately being destroyed by the wolf is a particularly apt image as the illusion of danger and excitement seems to disappear with "One bite, dead."

- "A whole wall was crimson, gold, aglow with books", though the danger and passion of the wolf has gone he seems to act as a gateway into the world of literature that Duffy has obviously become passionate about, emphasised by "words were truly alive on the tongue" and "warm, beating...". In this way perhaps there is admiration of the wolf and his work but still a naiviety of lust v love.

But then I was young - and it took ten years
in the woods to tell that a mushroom
stoppers the mouth of a buried corpse, that birds
are the uttered thoughts of trees, that a greying wolf
howls the same old song at the moon, year in, year out,
season after season, same rhyme, same reason. I took an axe

Stanza 6 Analysis:
- "But then I was young - and it took 10 years", further confirmation that Little Red Cap is autobiographical as the 10 years symbolise the 10 of her marriage to Henry. There is a sense of disillusion and that eventually realisation occurred "took 10 years in the woods to tell that a mushroom stoppers the mouth of a buried corpse.." Sounds like a woman trapped within a marriage, taken in by initial lust but then realising that "a greying wolf howls the same old song at the moon".

- "I took an axe" concludes the stanza, harsh sounding monosyllabic like the blow of an axe the enjambement shows how again there is an interruption of routine.

to a willow to see how it wept. I took an axe to a salmon
to see how it leapt. I took an axe to the wolf
as he slept, one chop, scrotum to throat, and saw
the glistening, virgin white of my grandmother's bones.
I filled his cold belly with stones. I stitched him up.
Out of the forest I come, with my flowers, singing, all alone.

Stanza 7 Analysis:
- Repetition of "I took an axe" seems to show an aggressive destruction and curiosity of the world around her, almost a dissection "I took an eaxe to a salmon to see how it leapt" furthering the idea that she had been previously disillusioned and seeing things unclearly. Furthermore by taking a weapon for herself she seems to be transcending Henry, her teacher and gaining independence.

- "One chop", this is mirrored to the "one bite, dead" of stanza 5 whereby in the same time he took her innocence, "virgin white" she returns the favour only this time retrieving his manhood "scrotum to throat". Furthermore Duffy states "I stitched him up" which could easily be a pun on the common phrase to decieve.

- The concluding line is a powerful statement of independence "I come with my flowers, singing, all alone." The use of the phrase "singing" implies a found voice and though the prospect of "alone" may often connote negativity it seems in this case Duffy finds it more empowering after suffering an unsatisfactory marriage to someone deemed masked by a sense of danger but whom underneath was repetitive and routine as the life displayed in the first stanza.