Diction & Imagery
Line 10: "noosed the double knot of a tie around my bare neck,"
Diction: to put a loop at the end of a rope, used for hanging people
Imagery: Due to the grief Mrs. Lazarus is facing following the death of Lazarus, the speaker is driven to the point of considering suicide. The noose is a symbole of death, usually sentenced. This has the effect of showing that Mrs. Lazarus is making this as a conscious decision, this is her judgment. In addition the image of the bare neck indicates her vulnerability.
Line 20: "vanishing to the small zero held by the gold of my ring."
"vanishing" diction: disappear suddenly and completely
Imagery: Mrs. Lazarus feels as though her husband is fading away and to an extent, exiting her life. "To the small zero by the gold of my ring" could simply represent the shape of her wedding ring however it could mean that it is the only physical object left of him that hasn't diminished away but also zero means 'nothingness' highlighting the fact that her husband is gone.
"vanishing" diction: disappear suddenly and completely
Imagery: Mrs. Lazarus feels as though her husband is fading away and to an extent, exiting her life. "To the small zero by the gold of my ring" could simply represent the shape of her wedding ring however it could mean that it is the only physical object left of him that hasn't diminished away but also zero means 'nothingness' highlighting the fact that her husband is gone.
Line 24:"hedgerows"
Diction: a rough or mixed hedge of wild shrubs and occasional tress, usually bordering a field or road.
Imagery: the use of nature imagery here suggests that after the speaker's dwelling of the loss of her husband, she has come to life again. It may indicate her rebirth. We are able to visualize her starting to live again by taking a calm and quiet walk.
Diction: a rough or mixed hedge of wild shrubs and occasional tress, usually bordering a field or road.
Imagery: the use of nature imagery here suggests that after the speaker's dwelling of the loss of her husband, she has come to life again. It may indicate her rebirth. We are able to visualize her starting to live again by taking a calm and quiet walk.
Line 27: "shawl of fine air"
Diction: a piece of wool or other material worn about the shoulders, or head and shoulders, in place of a hat or coat outdoors, protecting against chill and damp.
Imagery: the phrase "shawl of fine air" implies that the speaker feels protected, as if the wind is protecting her like a shawl protecting someone's shoulders from the cold. It may be a metaphor, where the speaker has overcome her grief and is protected from the "cold" or in other words the death of her husband.
Diction: a piece of wool or other material worn about the shoulders, or head and shoulders, in place of a hat or coat outdoors, protecting against chill and damp.
Imagery: the phrase "shawl of fine air" implies that the speaker feels protected, as if the wind is protecting her like a shawl protecting someone's shoulders from the cold. It may be a metaphor, where the speaker has overcome her grief and is protected from the "cold" or in other words the death of her husband.
Line 28: "a hare thump from a hedge"
"hare" Diction: a rodent like mammal of the genus Lepus, have long ears, long hind limbs adapted for leaping
Bible Diction: prohibited as food (Leviticus 11:6, Deuteronomy 14:7)
--> Metaphor
"thump" Diction: a heavy knock, dull sound
--> Onomatopoeia
"hare" Diction: a rodent like mammal of the genus Lepus, have long ears, long hind limbs adapted for leaping
Bible Diction: prohibited as food (Leviticus 11:6, Deuteronomy 14:7)
--> Metaphor
"thump" Diction: a heavy knock, dull sound
--> Onomatopoeia
Line 32: "sly"
Diction: cunning, wily, made with ingenuity, resourceful
"the sly light on the blacksmith's face" This verse implies that the blacksmith but also the other villagers are eager to know, curious and dying to see how the widow will react to her husband's resurrection.
Diction: cunning, wily, made with ingenuity, resourceful
"the sly light on the blacksmith's face" This verse implies that the blacksmith but also the other villagers are eager to know, curious and dying to see how the widow will react to her husband's resurrection.
Line 33: "blacksmith"
Diction: a person who makes horseshoes, forges objects of iron
The stanza that this word was taken from is very vividly written, giving the audience a clear image of the situation, hence she chose to use concrete details.
Diction: a person who makes horseshoes, forges objects of iron
The stanza that this word was taken from is very vividly written, giving the audience a clear image of the situation, hence she chose to use concrete details.
Line 38:"stench"
Diction: offensive smell, strong odor
The husband has just resurrected from the grave after months, hence has a very strong diseased odor. In addition, the word was extracted from a semantic field, where Duffy listed a number of negatively connoted words about the resurrected husband. The semantic field represents the tone and mood of this particular passage, where the wife did not expect her husband's resurrection and shows that the widow is put into a very difficult situation.
Diction: offensive smell, strong odor
The husband has just resurrected from the grave after months, hence has a very strong diseased odor. In addition, the word was extracted from a semantic field, where Duffy listed a number of negatively connoted words about the resurrected husband. The semantic field represents the tone and mood of this particular passage, where the wife did not expect her husband's resurrection and shows that the widow is put into a very difficult situation.
Line 38:"shroud"
Diction: a cloth or sheet in which corpse is wrapped for burial.
A concrete detail that gives the audience a clear visual image of the situation when the husband resurrects.
Diction: a cloth or sheet in which corpse is wrapped for burial.
A concrete detail that gives the audience a clear visual image of the situation when the husband resurrects.
Line 39: "disheveled"
Diction: to let down, let hang in loose order
"rotting shroud, moist and disheveled from the grave's slack chew" The word "disheveled" gives a clearer image of the resurrected husband, visually showing how someone would look like after being dead for months. The description of the husband has a slight negative connotation, setting the mood and tone of the passage.
Diction: to let down, let hang in loose order
"rotting shroud, moist and disheveled from the grave's slack chew" The word "disheveled" gives a clearer image of the resurrected husband, visually showing how someone would look like after being dead for months. The description of the husband has a slight negative connotation, setting the mood and tone of the passage.
Line 40: "croaking"
Diction: to utter a low-pitched, harsh cry, as the sound of a frog or a raven, to speak with a low rasping voice.
The husband was dead for months and hasn't spoken for a long period of time, therefore the word "croak" reflects his voice in a very sensual way, so that the reader has a better understanding and better image of the poem.
Diction: to utter a low-pitched, harsh cry, as the sound of a frog or a raven, to speak with a low rasping voice.
The husband was dead for months and hasn't spoken for a long period of time, therefore the word "croak" reflects his voice in a very sensual way, so that the reader has a better understanding and better image of the poem.
Line 40:"cuckold"
Diction: Husband of an unfaithful wife.
Duffy implies that the widow may have started to have interests in other men, showing that the wife has moved on, had closure over her dead husband. However, since the husband resurrected, Duffy raises the question whether the widow was "unfaithful" or not to her husband, even though he died.
Diction: Husband of an unfaithful wife.
Duffy implies that the widow may have started to have interests in other men, showing that the wife has moved on, had closure over her dead husband. However, since the husband resurrected, Duffy raises the question whether the widow was "unfaithful" or not to her husband, even though he died.
Line 40:"disinherited"
Diction: to exclude from inheritance, to deprive of heritage, country, right, privilege, etc.
"croaking his cuckold name, disinherited, out of time" This passage implies that the resurrection of Lazarus was not supposed to happen, it seemed impossible and unimaginable. Therefore, like anybody would, the wife moved on with her life. However, since her husband has resurrected now she is in a very difficult situation. The words "disinherited" and "out of his time" shows that Lazarus does not belong on this earth anymore, because nobody was to resurrect.
Diction: to exclude from inheritance, to deprive of heritage, country, right, privilege, etc.
"croaking his cuckold name, disinherited, out of time" This passage implies that the resurrection of Lazarus was not supposed to happen, it seemed impossible and unimaginable. Therefore, like anybody would, the wife moved on with her life. However, since her husband has resurrected now she is in a very difficult situation. The words "disinherited" and "out of his time" shows that Lazarus does not belong on this earth anymore, because nobody was to resurrect.