Kray Sisters
IOC Annotations
Kray Sisters
Basic context: The only poem in the collection that is not a dramatic monologue, it is also one of the 3 poems based on real characters from the 20th century. The real Kray twins were brother Ronney and Reggie, famous around the East of London around the 50s and 60s. They ran protection rackets and had money in various clubs. Eventually they were imprisoned for the murder of jack the hat in 69 after evading police for years, they were recommended to serve at least 30 years, Ronney died in prison 96, and Reggie died a few weeks after his release in 2000.
The Kray Sisters portrays a different side of the story compared to the traditional version. Their main purpose of "The Kray Sisters" is to amuse and entertain.
Carol Ann Duffy begins with the poem with a declarative statment "there are the twins". It is in italics, to show it is an outside voice saying it. This shows that they have a reputation and are well known. There is cheerfulness implied here but the “geezers” are probably actually fearful of the twins and not pleased to see them as imagined and the line could be interpreted either way.
Duffy also uses cockney rhyming slang throughout, (frog and toad, mince pies, Vera Lynn) which gives it a voice and identity. The amount of rhyming slang used decreases as the poem goes on, which could be a device to show how the twins have changed and gone up in the world. Seville row suits are also mentioned, giving the twins a masculine edge, until their "thr penny bits" are pointed out, showing that they are not harming their femininity.
The repetition of “London” in “oh London, London, London Town” is a reminiscent of patriotic, loyal and rousing songs often associated with world war 2 and its aftermath. They hint at the feeling of community spirit and unity, which probably didn’t exist.
It also emphasizes the twin’s love of London, and gives the line a wistful, reminiscing tone, which makes us wonder what happened to them
In the
Kray Sisters
Basic context: The only poem in the collection that is not a dramatic monologue, it is also one of the 3 poems based on real characters from the 20th century. The real Kray twins were brother Ronney and Reggie, famous around the East of London around the 50s and 60s. They ran protection rackets and had money in various clubs. Eventually they were imprisoned for the murder of jack the hat in 69 after evading police for years, they were recommended to serve at least 30 years, Ronney died in prison 96, and Reggie died a few weeks after his release in 2000.
The Kray Sisters portrays a different side of the story compared to the traditional version. Their main purpose of "The Kray Sisters" is to amuse and entertain.
Carol Ann Duffy begins with the poem with a declarative statment "there are the twins". It is in italics, to show it is an outside voice saying it. This shows that they have a reputation and are well known. There is cheerfulness implied here but the “geezers” are probably actually fearful of the twins and not pleased to see them as imagined and the line could be interpreted either way.
Duffy also uses cockney rhyming slang throughout, (frog and toad, mince pies, Vera Lynn) which gives it a voice and identity. The amount of rhyming slang used decreases as the poem goes on, which could be a device to show how the twins have changed and gone up in the world. Seville row suits are also mentioned, giving the twins a masculine edge, until their "thr penny bits" are pointed out, showing that they are not harming their femininity.
The repetition of “London” in “oh London, London, London Town” is a reminiscent of patriotic, loyal and rousing songs often associated with world war 2 and its aftermath. They hint at the feeling of community spirit and unity, which probably didn’t exist.
It also emphasizes the twin’s love of London, and gives the line a wistful, reminiscing tone, which makes us wonder what happened to them
In the