Within Carol Ann Duffy’s “In Mrs.

Tilscher’s Class”, the author utilized both

enjambment and synesthesia in order to demonstrate the uncertainty in life when abandoning

childhood and the implications of this coming-of-age period.

The author first demonstrated the chaotic nature of maturing by portraying childhood as

pure and calming. When beginning the poem, Duffy is seen to have used enjambment within her

stanzas as she describes the scene of a classroom, noting that the environment had “sugar paper”

and “coloured shapes” (line 11). Duffy includes this description of the room using enjambment

to connect the two details in order to emphasize the childhood-like qualities in this setting. The

words which she had chosen such as “sugar” and “colour” are also often associated with positive

and happy characteristics, suggesting further that the classroom is an environment which

provides safety and comfort. By making this connection, Duffy conveys the tranquil nature of

childhood and implies that it is one to be cherished and protected. Symbolizing Mrs. Tilscher’s

class as being representative of one’s childhood and a sense of peace is essential in conveying

Duffy’s underlying message because it allows for the author to juxtapose this setting with the

outside world, which is representative of abandoning childhood. To further her perspective,

Duffy utilized allusion to demonstrate how one’s youth brings about safety by mentioning that

the figures “Brady and Hindley faded” whilst inside the classroom (line 11). This allusion of

Brady and Hindley is referring to the “Moors murders”, where both individuals involved were

known to have murdered several children. By noting that these murders “faded” while being in

the comfort of the classroom, Duffy portrays the room as a safe haven that is only accessible

during one’s youth and marks any outside dangers or parts of adulthood as insignificant. Being a

child allows for one to be able to undermine the extremities of the outside world because those

within the classroom have not yet been exposed to such conditions and are able to preserve their
youth. By making Mrs. Tilscher’s classroom a direct reflection of childhood and what it means

to be young and naive, the author is able to later juxtapose this with the chaos of the

coming-of-age period in children’s lives. Contrasting the two therefore works to demonstrate the

uncertainty in life brought about when abandoning childhood.

The chaotic nature of life brought about when one abandons their childhood is conveyed

through the transitional shift in the poem. Duffy introduces a tone shift as she begins to describe

the outside world, noting that frogs were “jumping and croaking” (line 20). The author indicates

this shift by using frogs, which are often depicted as very chaotic and awkward creatures. By

including these animals in her description of the outside, this becomes representative of the

period of life where one is beginning to grow older and develop. Similar to a frog, an individual

experiences an awkward stage in their life where they are beginning to learn and develop

newfound skills, which consequently brings about uncertainty and disruption in one's life. This

idea is also strengthened through the author’s usage of synesthesia in line 24, as she stated that

the air “tasted of electricity”. Describing the air to taste similar to “electricity” is used by the

author to emphasize the excitement and unpredictability of adulthood. This description is able to

develop meaning for the author because it suggests that the implication of the coming-age period

of life is somewhat frightening and negative due to its uncertain qualities in comparison to the

safety presented by the classroom, or within childhood. “Outside”, being symbolic of the action

of abandoning one’s youth, is therefore portrayed by Duffy to be a period of precariousness for

an individual. The juxtaposition between the beginning stanzas describing the safety of one’s

youth in comparison to the final stanzas which convey the strangeness of adulthood similarly

works to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the reader as we are able to reminiscence on our similar

experiences when developing and growing older.

 In conclusion, Carol Ann Duffy utilized several devices throughout her poem to

demonstrate the contrast between the peace of childhood and the chaos experienced when

growing older because the coming-of-age period brings about uncertainty and life changes.