Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

In the second half of the poem (lines 7-14) the tone of the poem’s “air soften[s]” as the

narrator’s “daughter” walks “across the fields”. With no undermining undertones of men or

themes of feminism, it is a poem written about the love the narrator feels for her daughter.

The narrator’s daughter is “bringing all spring’s flowers to her mother’s house” signifying

both a literal and metaphorical meaning. In Greek mythology Persephone is the goddess of

Spring and flowers so it would make sense literally for her to bring flowers to “her mother’s

house”. The “spring’s flowers” can represent love and the comforting presence of the

narrator’s daughter and is a contrast to the first two stanzas with ‘warm[er]” word choices

that relate to Spring and therefore happiness.

Duffy uses a well-known myth – the myth of Demeter and Persephone – to portray intense

motherly-love to modern audiences. This being quite a contrast to Duffy’s often feminist-

themed poetry and this contrast is effective in being a simple love poem. The meaning of this

poem is amplified by the allusion to the Greek mythology making the love poem far more

significant to modern audiences. The enduring strength of maternal love is a continuous

theme throughout Demeter , and by creating allusions to ancient Greek Myth, the meaning

becomes more significant to readers as the ancient myth still has place in modern society.

14

Goldsmith