Both collections are responses to the patriarchal structure of society.

Duffy, within her collection,

explores power struggles in history between males and females, attempting to dismantle the rigid
and hegemonic patriarchy through subverting both biblical and mythological stories. The fact that
she is from a conservative catholic background and a feminist writer who straddles the second and
third wave, may help to explain her radical approach to dismantling the patriarchy. On the other
hand, Adichie addresses the structure of patriarchy but goes further by also acknowledging the
intersectionality associated with it, including race and class. This approach to dismantling patriarchy
may be explained by Adichie’s background. Adichie being ethnically Nigerian, has experienced a
social context that was subject to colonial rule by the British and thus has faced discrimination from
various fronts as a result of her race and sex 1. Both Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife and
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s The Thing Around Your Neck show resistance to patriarchy through the
use of female protagonists aiming to revive or even create an identity - in the process also
challenging hegemonic masculinity and the cult of femininity. However, both writers diverge at
various points in their collections. Whilst Duffy targets patriarchy in its root, Adichie goes further by
addressing different forms or systems of oppression, domination or discrimination. Moreover, by
targeting patriarchy at its root, Duffy aims to subvert or even rewrite history – a history without
patriarchy. On the other hand, Adichie has an arguably more pragmatic approach in the sense that
she is forward looking as she is attempting to shape the future and not the past through her works.

Within both collections by Adichie and Duffy, patriarchy is presented as prominent and
predominant, implying that it has a long-standing effect. Moreover, both writers present the
inherent nature of patriarchy through the characterization of male characters in their works, which
often stand as symbols for male domination. This is clear in the first poem of Duffy’s collection, Little
Red Cap, through the presentation of the Wolf, who Duffy uses as vehicle to show the brutal, beastly
and oppressive nature of patriarchy. The wolf is depicted as having ‘red wine staining on his bearded
jaw’ and a ‘lair’. Red being the colour of blood and fire, implies imperilment and strength which
could be inferred as the persona of men and fate of women. Moreover, the noun lair and adjective
bearded reinforces the beastly nature of men as a beard is a visual insignia for the oppressive male
testosterone whilst the denotation of a lair is where wild animals reside. Together, a lexical field of
despotism and subjugation is derived from this. Additionally, the imagery of blood conveys that
patriarchy thrives and survives on female blood. Duffy affirms this idea through the subverted poem
Queen Herod by underlining that the safety of women can only be assured through the gendercide
of men, ultimately implying that a system which feeds on blood can only be disrupted with blood.
The poem, The Devil’s Wife, also expresses the predominance and prominence of patriarchy through
its title as the female character is referred to the property of the Devil himself: she is essentially
denied her identity own unique identity. Moreover, the imagery of her being confined in cage is
greatly significant and is highlighted through the character’s thoughts which express that she is
‘locked up’ and that she ‘knew they chucked the key’. The fact that the Devil’s Wife was influenced
1
‘I went through a mental shift in my perception of literature. I realized that people like me, girls
with skin the colour of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in
literature’ - (Adichie, 2009, ‘The Danger of a Single Story, Ted Talk)
-https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_dange_of_a_single_story

The adjective “kinky” is commonly used to describe black or African hair. By pointing out that her
hair cannot go in a “ponytail,” Adichie is illustrating again how different she was from the white
protagonists in the stories she read, subtly implying that literature was dominated by white
Europeans.
by the Devil himself in her crimes implies that patriarchy is also psychologically hegemonic and
predominant, evident through the lines ‘I went mad for the sex’ and ‘we’re the same he said. That’s
it’. The desire of the female character alongside the imperative exemplifies male dominance and
highlights how patriarchy can both psychologically and physically tame women. Through this, Duffy
reinforces the stereotype that women are at the mercy of men on all fronts, an idea paralleled by
radical feminists2. However, by subverting biblical and well-known stories and rewriting them from a
radical feminists’ perspective, Duffy creates a power vacuum, in which contemporary readers can
challenge male dominance. The fact that Duffy has chosen to subvert Little Red Riding Hood, where
male power is challenged so remarkably, right at the start of her collection highlights that she
accepts this this idea as a given from the outset.

Adichie also expresses the idea that patriarchy is prominent and predominant, however,
acknowledges different forms of dominance including race and gender and accepts a more
pragmatic approach to dismantling these oppressive systems. This is clear in the ending of Jumping
Monkey Hill where Ujunwa, a young writer, is unable to complete her story about a black woman’s
oppression as a result of the comments made by Edward, an older professional writer, and still
‘wanted’ to say more. The verb ‘wanted’ is significant as it subtly implies that Ujunwa is still confined
within the patriarchal realms of society and is unable to express herself. Alternatively, through this
verb, a space opens up in which there is a future and possibility for her voice to be heard. The
pragmatism of Adichie is clear through this as she indicates that victory, regardless of how long it
takes, will be achieved. Dramatic irony is also effectively used by Adichie in the last sentence of the
story, as ‘this story’ has been published. As a result, contemporary audiences can analyze changing
attitudes in history and ultimately challenge patriarchy in a modern day context. However, the
characters used by Adichie to present patriarchy differ greatly to those of Duffy as they underline a
notion of double oppression by both men and imperial powers. The character Edward in Jumping
Monkey Hill is a prime example of this as he is a white male in Africa confining the rights of a Black
African woman. Imperialism in Africa, in particular Britain’s colonialisation of Nigeria supports and
strengthens the claim that Edwards gaze is both a colonial and patriarchal gaze. This is reinforced by
The Post-Colonial Studies Reader (1995) by Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffins and Helen Tiffin which
evokes the idea of ‘double colonization’. This theory underlines the concept that women in formerly
colonized societies were doubly colonized by both imperial and patriarchal ideologies. The difference
between the two writers’ intentions become clear through this, as Adichie not only targets
patriarchal oppression but acknowledges that other systems of oppression can also disadvantage
women equally, something that she discusses at length in relation to Nigerian culture and the
literary canon3. On the other hand, Duffy, through her poems sets all female characters on an equal
playing field and argues that the biggest enemy and threat to female civilization is patriarchy.

Within both collections, a great resistance is shown to patriarchy and both writers show that
dialectic conflict will always be prevalent in any society and highlight female attempts to subvert the
traditional power structure. Shulamith Firestone has similarly expressed this idea in the ‘The
Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution’ (1970) arguing that Marxist interpretation of

2
Willis, Ellen (1984). "Radical Feminism and Feminist Radicalism". Social Text. 9/10: The 60's without
Apology: 91–118 – Page 117 – Idea that patriarchy affects evades all aspects of personal and public
lives, including social and economic contexts.
3
Adichie, 2009, ‘The Danger of a Single Story, Ted Talk)
-https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_dange_of_a_single_story
Footnote 6 & 7 – Adichie describes how women had subjugated domestic roles in society, highlighting the
effects of patriarchy are reinforced and entrenched through the Nigerian culture.
dialectic conflict failed to address patriarchy at its core 4. Despite the consensus that a popular
resistance is needed, both writers differ greatly in their methods to combat patriarchy, as seen both
in their characters and their own approaches to writing. Whilst Duffy targets the historical substance
of patriarchy, Adichie idealizes a greater future – a common future of equality between all men and
women. Thus, it can be argued that Duffy is indeed more radical than Adichie. An example of
patriarchy being challenged in its entirety is in the poem Delilah. In the biblical story Delilah is bribed
to discover the source of Sampson’s strength. As he sleeps, Delilah orders a servant to cut Samson's
hair, thereby enabling her to turn him over to the Philistines. In Duffy’s subversive retelling however,
a constant and personal power struggle is presented between the sexes, evident through the lines ‘I
nibbled the purse of his ear’ and ‘He fucked me again’. The juxtaposition in the lexis conveys this
power struggle as brutality is contrasted with compassion whilst also etching out differences
between the inherent nature of both men and women. Duffy and her radical poetic style is
highlighted clearly through her use of a well-established biblical story which in essence is a
subversion, defying the norms of patriarchy, something she interviewed about with Barry Wood 5.
Through this Duffy challenges not only social norms but the word of God, underlying her efforts to
challenge history in its entirety. This is reinforced through the constant symbolism of castration in
Duffy’s poems. In Delilah, the male character is stripped off his powers as a result of his hair being
cut by a woman and in Salome the male’s head is decapitated by a woman. By dismantling the
biological substance of patriarchy Duffy is thus targeting patriarchy at its root. The SCUM manifesto
by Valerie Solanas, a radical feminist, parallels this viewpoint arguing that men have ruined the
world, and that it is up to women to fix it. To achieve this goal, it suggests the formation of SCUM, an
organization dedicated to overthrowing patriarchy and eliminating the male sex. In an interview with
Zoe Fairburns, Duffy admits to being ‘politically left, openly bisexual, a feminist ex-Catholic single
parent’, ultimately reinforcing the idea that she is challenging patriarchy in its entirety 6.

Adichie, on the other hand, challenges patriarchy through forms of escapism which can be deemed
subtler as opposed to Duffy and her radicalism. The Thing Around Your Neck closely parallels this
through the story of Akuna, the female protagonist. In the story, Akunna gains an American visa and
goes to live with her uncle, who is already successfully embedded within American culture. Adichie
describes however, how Akunna’s Uncle had ‘forcefully pulled her to him’ in an attempt to abuse
her, and as a result, she decides to travel to Connecticut to seek alternative work. This is significant

4
Firestone argues that the biological sexual dichotomy, particularly the biological division of labour
in reproduction, is the root cause of male domination, economic class
exploitation, racism, imperialism and ecological irresponsibility. Firestone describes her approach as
a dialectical materialism more radical than that of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. She believes that
in their preoccupation with economic processes, Marx and Engels failed to perceive "the sexual
substratum of the historical dialectic.
5
“I wanted to…find a truth which hadn’t been amplified previously.  And the way I wanted to do that
was to find a female perspective…What you can do as a poet is take on a story and make it new. My
aim is to find hidden truths or fresh ways of looking at familiar things.” – This highlights her style of
writing and how it targets the root of patriarchy.
(Duffy, 2005, from an interview with Barry Wood) - http://www.sheerpoetry.co.uk/advanced/interviews/carol-
ann-duffy-the-world-s-wife
6
Zoe Fairburns (date unknown) ‘Carol Ann Duffy: Visibility for Poetry’ – Page 35
http://www.zoefairbairns.co.uk/carolannduffy.pdf
as it shows that a female is indeed able to leave an oppressive household – perhaps a greater
metaphor that females will able to break away from patriarchy. The prevalence and continuation of
oppressive systems is exemplified through the cyclical nature of Akunnas exploitation within the
narrative structure. Upon entering a relationship with a white male and meeting his family, Akunna
is ‘grateful that they did not view her as an exotic trophy, an ivory tusk’, which ultimately stresses
that a system of oppression based on race is still prevalent. The animal imagery is significant as
elephant ivory is still hunted in Africa, implying that Akunna, who is a symbol for black women, is
deemed a prey. E. Ann Kaplan reinforces this idea through the post-colonial imperial gaze concept,
where the observed finds themselves defined in terms of the privileged observer's own set of values.
The colonial history of Nigeria is also significant as Nigeria in the past was forced to participate in the
slave trade and the British had taken an interest in Nigeria because of its resources. Thus, the white
male’s gaze could symbolize the British Empire’s gaze on Nigeria. Akunna’s exploitation is repeatedly
followed by her ability to break away and essentially start a new life. Adichie, through this implies
that history doesn’t need to be whitewashed or rewritten but that a better future can be paved for
women through progressive steps in the current system – a stark contrast to Duffy.

Duffy and Adichie both underline that sisterhood and female self-dependency is the most effective
reciprocation to the barbarous nature of men and that through this, patriarchy will eventually be
abolished. Despite this, Adichie highlights that sisterhood could also help reduce or even abolish
other social and racial divisions. Both writers also diverge in their rendition of the nature of men.
Whilst Duffy presents men as unmalleable beasts and declares gendercide, Adichie imagines a future
where both sexes are at harmony. An archetype in Duffy’s collection is the vivid animal imagery
which is often presented through the characterization of male characters. A prime example of this is
Little Red Cap where the wolf is both literally and metaphorically presented as bestial. The depiction
of the wolf having ‘red wine staining on his bearded jaw’ and through the lines ‘white big eyes he
had! What teeth!’ emphasizes the bestial nature of men. The composition of this character is
significant as his features resemble those of a predator, the eyes locating the prey and the teeth
being the weapon of the predator. This image is further reinforced in Delilah, through the line ‘I can
rip out the roar from the throat of a tiger’. The personification of the roar implicates the deadly
nature of the tiger yet as the male character challenges this; we are essentially presented with a
being which is greater than a predator. However, Duffy creates room for this bestiality to be
challenged through the use of Tiger. As the lion is the King of the jungle, we are given a subtle
implication that a greater power will prevail over this bestiality. Duffy shoes that male bestiality can
be challenged through sisterhood and female self-dependency in the subverted poem The Kray
Sisters, which is about twin sisters who were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in
the East End of London during the 1950s and 1960s. The fact that women, in this poem, have
created an entity which is self-reliant defies that traditional patriarchal interpretation that men are
the breadwinners, highlights hope in patriarchal norms being abolished. On the other hand, Adichie
exemplifies the vitality of sisterhood and female self-dependence in abolishing or reducing systems
of oppression through the short story, A Private Experience. In the story Chika, an Igbo
woman, hides from the violence of a riot in an abandoned shop with a Hausa Muslim woman. Chika
and the woman spend the night in the store and part ways in the morning, each telling the other to
greet their loved ones. The relationship between Igbos and Hausas is historically derogatory as both
has fought a civil war (Biafran war) from 1967-70, in which thousands were killed and millions
displaced. As the Igbo and Hausa women build solidarity beyond ethnicities and borders, evident
through the Igbo women examining the Hausa women’s burning nipples, Adichie highlights how
sisterhood could abolish or harmoise other world orders and systems of oppressions- something
which Duffy does not address. The inevitability of patriarchy being abolished is hinted at through the
structure of both collections. The ending of both collections, Demeter and The Headstrong Historian
only contain female characters, perhaps foreshadowing that the women cause will prevail.

In conclusion, both writers exploit the fragile structure of patriarchy but diverge at what they see as
the way forward for females – Duffy seeks a matriarchy whilst Adichie seeks small strategic gains for
the benefit of women. We can see this most clearly in the final pieces of each collection where
powerful yet contrasting images of sisterhood are put forward. Moreover, the work of both writers
can be deemed autobiographical in the sense that it closely resembles their personal lives and
experiences yet both writers acknowledge the power of literature and how it can be manipulated to
send different messages. The short story form, in which Adichie uses, is greatly effective in
displaying the intersectionality associated with the feminist movements as various viewpoints can be
attained. Sam Baker had referred to the collection as a whole word in a miniature, ultimately
emphasising the various messages Adichie is able to convey. Alternatively, Aminatta Forna stated
that the Adichie’s works was ultimately a ‘disappointment and endurance rather than hope’,
implying that Adichie’s work does not go far in exemplifying a greater future for women. This view
could be challenged through that fact that Adichie does not impose an agenda but shares the
emotional truth to life, thus bestows future to contemporary audiences. Reader responses to these
collections may also differ based on the context. Contemporary cosmopolitan readers may be more
concurrent with Adichie’s works as new wave of right-wing populism and xenophobia has surged
through America and Europe evident through recent events such as Brexit and nationalist parties in
Europe. All in all, both writers target patriarchy at different angles, with the aim to achieve different
outcomes.

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