Understanding the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Duffy presents the life-changing responsibilities of parenthood.
Key learning points
- The speaker is initially looking at a photo and reminiscing about their mother’s life before she had children.
- The mother's life seemed glamorous, rebellious and full of promise before the speaker was born.
- The speaker feels her birth made her mother's life more mundane due to the responsibilities of parenthood.
- Duffy is a feminist writer who often criticises conventional and restrictive roles for women.
- This poem is semi-autobiographical, based on photographs of Duffy’s mother as a young woman.
Keywords
Mundane - ordinary, lacking excitement or interest
Feminist - advocating for the social, political, and economic rights of women
Semi- autobiographical - partially based on the author's own life experiences, events, or perspectives
Alluring - attractive in a mysterious or tempting way; captivating and seductive
Relic - an object surviving from a past era, often with historical, cultural, or sentimental significance
Common misconception
The speaker explains how having children ruined her mother's life.
While Duffy does explore how motherhood has contributed to her mother's loss of confidence and freedom, the final stanza of the poem shows them both having fun together so it is evident that there are many positive aspects to motherhood as well.
Teacher tip
Encourage students to choose a stanza and draw the image (or 'photograph') it is describing.
Equipment
You will need access to the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy. This can be found in the AQA Love and Relationships Poetry Anthology.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these words could you use to describe the relationship between a mother and their child?
Q2.Why is it important to consider the wider context of a poem in your analysis of it?
Q3.Which of these words is an example of a possessive pronoun?
Q4.Which of these words means 'associated with a caring, nurturing significant mother'?
Q5.Which of these sentences is in the second person?
Q6.Which of these is a synonym for 'not afraid to break the rules'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word 'feminist' mean?
Q2.Which word in the title 'Before You Were Mine' is a possessive pronoun?
Q3.Duffy has admitted that 'Before You Were Mine' is partly based on her mother and her own childhood memories, so it is an example of writing.
Q4.What does the word 'alluring' mean?
Q5.Which of these words from 'Before You Were Mine' suggest Duffy's mother's glamorous lifestyle is a thing of the past now she has children?
Q6.Which word from the last stanza of 'Before You Were Mine' emphasises how mundane Duffy's mother's life is now she has children?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the 'Love and Relationships' unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.