The global issue that I have selected is women's independence and their emancipation from

the patriarchy to help shape their identity verbally and sexually, which is brought out in the
literary body of work World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy. The World’s Wife is a collection of
poems that focus on the complexities of gender relations, the roles of women, and the often ill
treatment of women through fictional, biblical, mythical, and historical contexts. I will be
focusing specifically on ‘Little Red Cap’ which is an allusion to the Little Red Riding Hood.
Duffy shows how the young girl overcomes what her grandmother could not, highlighting the
progressiveness of the feminist movement and their growing ability to challenge the
patriarchal society. The non-literary …

‘Little Red Cap’ explores a young girls’ journey toward liberation similar to Duffy’s personal
life, and one way by which she has done this is through the fluctuations in tone across the
poem. The first line of the poem itself presents a serious, almost foreboding tone, as her
childhood comes to an end. It foreshadows something unpleasant in the poem, already
drawing the readers in with the promise of suspense. Furthermore, after she kills the wolf, she
leaves the forest with “her flowers singing all alone”, which marks a return to a child-like
form of expression. She emerges from the darkness and mystery of the woods as a mature
individual with several experiences that are described as flowers- that will play a vital role in
shaping her identity as she stood up for herself and made what she thought was the best
decision for her. Moreover, the repetition and emphasis on ‘I’ along with the use of the
alliteration “all alone” in the last stanza shows that she has found peace with herself and she
is actively regaining control of her own life, without being under the constant oppression of
the wolf. Other texts in the Worlds Wife, shows the progressiveness of the women’s journey
over time as the poem goes along and how they overcome the obstacles. In Mrs Midas, the
poem starts with the man sitting in “his chair like a king”, which shows how the subversion
of traditional gender roles usually takes a long time and highlights the suppression of women
in misogynistic society. Throughout the poem, there are autobiographical references made to
Duffy’s life which are integral to the progression and composition of the text. She was in a
relationship with a much older man, Adrian Henri, and it took her 10 years to realise that the
relationship was not what she imagined it to be because he had taken away all her freedom
and often controlled her identity. Thus, the regaining of the protagonist’s identity is
analogous to Duffy reclaiming control from her abuser. This makes the readers feel
sympathetic towards not only the protagonist but also Duffy herself because she faced several
hardships across the 10 years of her relationship.

Another way through which Duffy shows the uncertainties of the path towards emancipation
is through the unorthodox flow of the poem. Free verse has been used in other poems in her
anthology: ‘Mrs Midas’ and ‘Mrs Beast’ too, which helps to convey that there is no rigidity
or set path for one to build their identity; it is a truly unique and individual process. Although
Duffy writes her poems in free verse, they are not complete without the use of enjambment
and internal rhyme. Both work together to increase and fluctuate the rhythm, pace, and flow
of the poem, which is symbolic of the ebb and flow in the journey towards liberation, self-
realisation, and fulfilment. An instance where internal rhyme has helped to enhance the
uncertainties of the journey is in the phrase “Murder clues, I lost both shoes” which refers to
the vulnerability she felt around the wolf, who took her virginity and her innocence and
childhood, this draws comparisons to Duffy’s real-life situation around which the poem is
written. To portray her reluctance the use of internal rhymes decreases drastically reducing
the pace and flow of the poem but once she is sure in the last stanza the poet rhymes “wept,
leapt and slept” to show the growing progression as the object she cuts gets larger and fuller
with life. Furthermore, the use of the violent lexical set helps to enhance the vivid and
gruesome imagery of her killing the wolf which is a breakthrough point in her life where she
finds peace with herself and makes up her mind as she “creeps” out of the dark tangled
thorny place. The rhyme increases the flow of the poem which suggests the ease by which
she kills the wolf showing her lack of remorse.
‘The Little Red Cap’ is a great way to start the series of World Wife as it encapsulates all the
themes explored by the anthology, including the mistreatment by males, subversion of
traditional gender roles, as well as the naivety and innocence of females as they achieve their
independence through self-realisation and self-fulfilment.

My non-lit extract is a cartoon that showcases a woman in the dominant role in a relationship,
with the man doing the stereotypical housewive’s jobs. The panel brings out the issue of how
women are typically subjugated in a patriarchy and how men are not used to a sense of
gender equality.

The medium long shot and graphic weight of the illustration, with its warm colour scheme
and faded colours, serves to wash out the picture, similar to how society has washed out the
female perspective. The warm colours also emphasise the message of the illustration, as they
are associated with heat and real-world debates about women's empowerment. The text "now
act like you like it" is a reference to arranged marriages and the societal expectation that
women should be grateful for their husbands. This is also seen in the selected body of work,
with women having to worry about expressing their thoughts in the workplace and about
what to wear. It is evident that the woman is not herself and has changed her entire
appearance and behaviour to fit the socially accepted norms. The layout of the cartoon is
done in such a way that the woman is surrounded by the stereotypes in all directions, just like
in real life. The fact that the text is so compactly placed around her and there is no free space
is also symbolic of her lack of freedom, leading to loss of identity.

The single panel illustration depicts a role reversal based on society's expectations in familiar
situations. The woman is shown relaxing on a bed, holding a glass of wine and appearing in
control, while the man is shown scared and bent over in a subservient position. This role
reversal is highlighted by the man being naked, showing that the male is now vulnerable -
just like women in a patriarchy. The woman is fully clothed, emphasising her power. The
man is also performing a stereotypical woman's job, cleaning, further emphasising the role
reversal. The emanata seen conveys that he is not enjoying it and would rather be doing
something else, and this conveys to readers that men shouldn’t expect women to be fine with
doing such jobs. The wine is a symbol of power and wealth, typically associated with men.
The woman is at the centre of the illustration, while the man is relegated to the sidelines,
breaking stereotypes. The posture of the woman shows that she has the upper hand and the
man is doing the “woman’s” work. Viewer’s see the woman’s mouth open and it thus
becomes evident that she is the one giving the orders to the man and is able to express her
identity and thoughts verbally, and his shocked expression seen with his raised eyebrows
convey that taking orders from a woman is not something he is used to. In a patriarchy, it is
usually the other way around with the man giving the orders without any repercussions. The
illustration is in the style of ligne claire and the borderless panels show how stereotypes are
fluid and can be broken and overturned, with no confinement, representing freedom. The
theme of the reversal of roles which leads to the emancipation of women as seen in the GI is
again brought out through the body of work. All panels showcase how a change in the
patriarchal roles lead to women being able to express their opinions freely. In the panel with
the caption “you don’t have to go to this party. Its mens optional”, we see that men are not
required for women, breaking gender norms wherein women are accompanied by men. She
seems to be handling bills and invites which is traditionally the men’s job.

The texts Little Red Cap and the political cartoons by Liza Donelly project the prevalence of
gender-based roles in society effectively. Through various subthemes, devices and authorial
choices, this global issue is clearly brought out and acts as a catalyst of change. By presenting
the viewpoint of women in society and their sufferings which are not often seen, both bodies
of work convey the necessity of the change in roles that women need.