Warming Her Pearls
Alli Beery
Warming Her Pearls
ENGL 3790
3/31/14
Warming Her Pearls
Carol Anne Duffy has always had a strong feminist theme running throughout all of her poems. Warming Her Pearls is a combination of both feminism and Marxism. There is a class conflict when it comes to the maid and her mistress. The maid is constantly thinking of her mistress, and it is likely that the mistress never thinks twice about her maid. While there is no relationship between a man and a woman, there are strong sexual thoughts about the maid and the mistress. There seems to be some sort of sexual tension between the maid and the mistress that she takes care of every day. While warming her pearls, she constantly thinks of what her mistress is doing. As she is thinking of her mistress, feelings towards the women start to become apparent and float through the maid’s thoughts. Duffy uses language, a deep infatuation, and economic status to create a sexual connection between the mistress and maid. The language used in Warming Her Pearls indicates an erotic connection between the maid and the mistress. The first few words, “next to my own skin,” immediately creates a picture in the reader’s head of sexuality (Duffy). When the maid is speaking of the mistress’s throat, she uses the words cool and white. When Duffy uses the words, “my slow heat,” it could be referring to a sexual feeling that is coming over the maid. The maid even knows what her perfume smells like because she comes in contact with her every day. There seems to be a sexual connection between the two when Duffy says, “I dust her shoulders with a rabbit 's foot, watch the soft blush seep through her skin…” (Duffy). The last two stanzas use the most vivid language. The maid imagines the mistress taking off her clothes and slipping naked into bed. This indicates that the maid thinks about her mistress in a seductive, erotic way. When the maid said that she, “burns” after seeing the
Warming Her Pearls
ENGL 3790
3/31/14
Warming Her Pearls
Carol Anne Duffy has always had a strong feminist theme running throughout all of her poems. Warming Her Pearls is a combination of both feminism and Marxism. There is a class conflict when it comes to the maid and her mistress. The maid is constantly thinking of her mistress, and it is likely that the mistress never thinks twice about her maid. While there is no relationship between a man and a woman, there are strong sexual thoughts about the maid and the mistress. There seems to be some sort of sexual tension between the maid and the mistress that she takes care of every day. While warming her pearls, she constantly thinks of what her mistress is doing. As she is thinking of her mistress, feelings towards the women start to become apparent and float through the maid’s thoughts. Duffy uses language, a deep infatuation, and economic status to create a sexual connection between the mistress and maid. The language used in Warming Her Pearls indicates an erotic connection between the maid and the mistress. The first few words, “next to my own skin,” immediately creates a picture in the reader’s head of sexuality (Duffy). When the maid is speaking of the mistress’s throat, she uses the words cool and white. When Duffy uses the words, “my slow heat,” it could be referring to a sexual feeling that is coming over the maid. The maid even knows what her perfume smells like because she comes in contact with her every day. There seems to be a sexual connection between the two when Duffy says, “I dust her shoulders with a rabbit 's foot, watch the soft blush seep through her skin…” (Duffy). The last two stanzas use the most vivid language. The maid imagines the mistress taking off her clothes and slipping naked into bed. This indicates that the maid thinks about her mistress in a seductive, erotic way. When the maid said that she, “burns” after seeing the
Cited: Duffy, Carol Ann. "Warming Her Pearls." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. . "Mistress." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. .