This script was written to prepare IO on Carol Ann Duffy’s Medusa. It includes a detailed, line-by-line commentary and analysis of literary devices and themes.

If you find it difficult to structure your IO, it might give you some idea of how to organize all the information and give a decent response.

 

[Sample excerpts]

Medusa

 

Introduction

●  The extract I am going to analyze is Medusa, which is one of the poems in Carol Ann Duffy’s 1999 collection called The World’s Wife.

●  Duffy’s collection of poems mainly highlights feminism and her personal, autobiographical experiences. In order to create a dominant female character, she inverted original myths, legends, or fairy stories and came up with a completely new storyline.

 

Context

●  In the original Greek mythology, Medusa is one of Gorgon’s three sisters who has snakes in her hair and has the power to turn people into a stone just by her gaze.

●  However, this is the poem about jealousy, which triggers Medusa to be turned into a Gorgon.

 

Thesis

●  In this commentary, I will be mainly analyzing a central theme of jealousy which is revealed through syntax and literary devices such as metaphor, sibilance, and imagery. Furthermore, I will also talk about another theme of power, emphasized through Duffy’s style of writing.

 

Body

●  This poem commences with listing three words: “a suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy” in line 1. Duffy intentionally puts these three words together in order to show a mixture of emotions that are being existed in Medusa’s mind. This listing technique pulls the readers into the mindset of Medusa and provides a chance to question themselves in what situation they normally feel these kinds of emotions…

 

 

  • Total number of pages: 4 pages
  • Topic: IB English A: Language & Literature SL Individual Oral (IO) Script – Carol Ann Duffy “Medusa”
  • Subject: English A
  • The file is in PDF format.