Structure and Language in the poem Quickdraw by Carol Ann Duffy
Structure and language
Structure
Quickdraw has four stanzas of four lines each, two of which are joined by enjambment, where one line carries on into the next.
There is no rhyme scheme or regular rhythm. The poem is largely written in free verse.
Language
Quickdraw plays on imagery associated with western (cowboy) films, as the title suggests. "Gunslingers" is a term used in the western to describe those who fight with guns, often shooting from the hip. The poem starts by replacing weapons with mobile phones: "like guns, slung from the pockets on my hips". Duffy is making a humorous comment on the way in which relationships can be like a fight, or "showdown", but the imagery also suggests violence in the characters.
There is a light-hearted mood to the poem, created by images that are typical of slapstick (physical humour): "I twirl the phone,/then squeeze the trigger of my tongue". Here the metaphor of the tongue as a weapon perfectly describes an argument and is comic when combined with the alliteration of the 't' sounds.
Punctuation is also used by Duffy to reflect the feelings of the speaker. In the first stanza a long opening sentence is followed by a very short one - "I'm all/alone." - which creates tension in a comedic way, as we, like the speaker, prepare for the ringing of phones. Punctuation is again used in this way in the final stanza, as the speaker "reel"s at the receipt of receiving two text messages at once. She composes her reply "Take this.../and this... and this... and this... and this...", which sounds like the shots of a gun, or lots of kisses. The poem is purposefully ambiguous, so the meaning of the final line is open to interpretation. Perhaps the speaker is giving in, returning the "silver bullets of your kisses" with her own or it could this be one last attempt at a shootout?
The poem also makes use of intimate physical words and phrases, suggesting genuine closeness between the two lovers: "In my ear", "hear me groan", "tongue",
Structure
Quickdraw has four stanzas of four lines each, two of which are joined by enjambment, where one line carries on into the next.
There is no rhyme scheme or regular rhythm. The poem is largely written in free verse.
Language
Quickdraw plays on imagery associated with western (cowboy) films, as the title suggests. "Gunslingers" is a term used in the western to describe those who fight with guns, often shooting from the hip. The poem starts by replacing weapons with mobile phones: "like guns, slung from the pockets on my hips". Duffy is making a humorous comment on the way in which relationships can be like a fight, or "showdown", but the imagery also suggests violence in the characters.
There is a light-hearted mood to the poem, created by images that are typical of slapstick (physical humour): "I twirl the phone,/then squeeze the trigger of my tongue". Here the metaphor of the tongue as a weapon perfectly describes an argument and is comic when combined with the alliteration of the 't' sounds.
Punctuation is also used by Duffy to reflect the feelings of the speaker. In the first stanza a long opening sentence is followed by a very short one - "I'm all/alone." - which creates tension in a comedic way, as we, like the speaker, prepare for the ringing of phones. Punctuation is again used in this way in the final stanza, as the speaker "reel"s at the receipt of receiving two text messages at once. She composes her reply "Take this.../and this... and this... and this... and this...", which sounds like the shots of a gun, or lots of kisses. The poem is purposefully ambiguous, so the meaning of the final line is open to interpretation. Perhaps the speaker is giving in, returning the "silver bullets of your kisses" with her own or it could this be one last attempt at a shootout?
The poem also makes use of intimate physical words and phrases, suggesting genuine closeness between the two lovers: "In my ear", "hear me groan", "tongue",