Ihe Dolphins

Carol Ann Dufly

lifein. all iis sainess

atnird oets. ler poems retlect 2009 Carol Ann Dufty
and most colleetion of love poems. In
(30l Ann Dutti is one of Britain's lvst ¢NOW ITie or Raptune
, she was awandad the IS BioM
Na UN's wenticth launate a dolphin. Ihc poet
written fnom the perspcctive ofits own but now ives
momlogue around on
itphins hv 'anl Ann Dutty is a dramatie once fne and swimming where it docs what itsoWner or
The ofa dolphin which
was park)- a place experience ot
tnCs to enumerate the cmtions (an aquarium or a water occan, speaks about the the aquatic
an artificial pool fre lite in the perform tricks in
in alite ot oninement indolnhin, rmembring its previous where it is expevted to The poct aims at criticisns
tTKT ells it to do. lhe ot its kind will dic.
artiñcial ol with others where it believes it
tkng ntinnito an when its tom is limited and specics ofprivilege over other animals.
quralent of acinrus oppresionby hunman beings as a The use o.
stisism as a fom of swim in, or dance, it is simple. addressin;
world is what you The dolphin
Dophins begins with the line that the between the reader and the persona. world should be like
Ihe pm lhe closeness about what the
helps to establish a "world' and its own expectations where one is allowed to swimn in c
person voice
tIN sON explins the nmeaning of
the world should be a place Unfortunately the world .
IS, the huians, reside in the ocean, it explains that the without any restrictions.
remain in th.
Given that they identifiable with joy and happiness an artificial pool. Though theynow restricted .
dane. t is an
exprssion confined to dolphin is
when they are captured and Water may be allaround it but the dolphin
changes
the dolphins water, this time on they ane not fee. in. Understandably from now on the by sayir,
ciement, that is dance around of desolation
and not the expansive ocean it used to The dolphin expresses its misery in a tonenot alone in the captiv.
The pool of its imprisonment. dolphin realizes that it is dolphi
ling the reader the story worid it cannot breathe for long.The movements and thoughts are the same. The through
that outside the aquaticanother
restricted
dolphin whose shape, its enslavement; a man who makes the compelled to pun
dolphinjump
points to
world. It who is the reason behind by a constant flowing guilt as he
finally reveals that it is man trapped
man himself is also
hoops on order. Ironically
water into the pool. havc
very sensitive to changes around them. They
their skin is found no truth
very sentient beings. Even grieves and mentions it has
The dolphins usually aresystem. In spite of allthese abilities, the dolphin can stimulate its skin - no explanati.
a well developed sonar pleasing that
waters. In the present situation they find nothing so limits of the pool it finds nothing new but the sar
in these the we
sense of this new world. In dolphin cries out that they
which may help them to make a voice that resonates in a depressing tone the blessed. The helpleS creatur
monotonous space always. In roaming in the ocean. But they are not anymore
blessed when they were freely fate. The dolphins that were used to travelling around in the open waters for d:
though they are !
unwillingly begin to accept their mindset to live in the limited water now. However ocean are to.i'.
begin to translate, that is, to
change its
ditterent in reality. Swimming in a pool and in the perform vari:
space is them
surrounded by water the present their activities begin to be controlled by man who makes deepens the apathy
erent experiences. Besides now
The superiority of man further
by jumping through hoops or balance a coloured ball. abductor would constantly watch from
above.
incks these dolphins do, man, their
the dolphin. No matter what now accepts tc
the dolphins in the third stanza. The dolphin
and the problems of sudden. This narr:
The poet reiterates the monotony blessed. Their world is not going to tum into an ocean all of a
dolphin is aware that it is
fact that they are no longer suggesting the end of freedom. The iv
world cannot give directions to
their dreams, thus
is aware of their helplessness and tries to reduce its pain
dolphin, its companion, of love reflects me fo:
not suffering alone. The other'other' of its species. The line "The other knows and out and situation gives
simply being a sympathetic understanding of empathy between the dolphins. This line situation and tr
myself portrays a wonderful The word we' suggest that they collectively deal with the by like memor
collective voice to the dolphins. other.
silver skin flash
In the next line "we see our sea and when the natural sulig
depending on each
adapt to it while the times when they were in
the
el:
somewhere else' the dolphin remembers appearance. But now it appears to be an old memory of 'somewhere
commanding
a silvery
reflected off their skin givingbalancing a coloured ball until the man goes away indicating how
Their life is now reduced to
controlling humans are on them.
in the ocean, the d
an embodiment of utmost desolation, confinement and control. Whenmoon is no longer visit
The last stanza is reflection of the moon. In the enclosed
space that
used to follow or circle around the that now the dolpn e
all
The line We circle well- worn grooves of water on a single note' suggests on asingle note. The e
them. plays
which induces a sense of music. which
circBe arOund the grooves of the water bubbles and the moon.
*grooves' to find a similarity in the water
 perfor their acrhatic$
listening to which the dolphins
The single note refers to the whistle blowing by the man. The dolphin hears the music of lossofin its compann 5
ball. the loss freedom ard joy.
of jumping through the hoops or halancing a coloured the loss on a cotimal basis, it feels future is blcak and
hopeless.
voice. When it hears its companions mourning their
doBphins come to realize that possibly for the dolphins 1o
This saddens it and fums its heart to stone The tank
Though a plastic toy isthere in theocean. Havingno hope in go ha,
There is no cscape from the present world. inthe free his whistl.
of playing around the pool untilthe frainer blows arc
play with. this artificial toy cannot povidethe joy the boundaries of actions
signifies that their teritory even heing
home the doiphin says they sink to the limits or ine there is a man his if
the tricks. The cscaping the man in
signalling them to come up and perform the whistle Thusthere is n
and their collective intelligence t,
blows
guided and controlled by the man who collective suffering of the dolphins last stanza
to. Ou mind points to the from the first stanza in the
they want of 'A man"
understand what is going on anvund them. The repetition
emphasiss the cycle of suffering the dolphins are going through. confinement of animalsthat b;
oppression, control and telling us
the theme of the purpose of
The Dolphins by Carol Anne Duffy brings outdolphins. This poem is written underdolphins, controlling them and
man through the treatment meted out to the dominating these free' and we
are man's fricnds, man is the poem. We are not
although dolphins are mammals and themes of restricted. The repetition
Enslavement is thus one of the main movements are
restricting their freedom. they
their
have no freedom as Their movements are controlled by
the ma
'cannot breathe for long' emphasises that
monotonous life they are in.
of the wond 'space' is used to show the creatures dance to his tunes.
these helpless
wto uses his powe to make 'Above is the man' shows human
bow the
poem. The phrase
out in the known as a friend of
greed and cruelty is brought dolphins. The dolphin is wellabductors. Man for his own
Ibe themne of human and has the power over the
be their
niS Scen to be superior is sad that those same human beings should cach ay they are forced to balance
at sea. It and
CIngs in trouble dolphins to perform tricks with hoops captured and trained they have to
monetary purpose forces the Originally they are clever dolphins but after being
themselves on a coloured ball.
folow the order of man.
devoid of hope and
around the depressing state of the dolphins that are poem is consistent
poem revolves form of the
Tbe mood of the entire within the baricades of a man-made environment. The structure could be a metaphor for
freedom, and are confined not rhyme. This uniform
of six lines cach. It does of the sea. The poet uses &
and structured in four stanzas the dolphin's life compared to the comparative freedom Enjambment isused throughou:
the structure and unifornity ofconvey the oppression meted out to the dolphins. space
to
number of literary devices other other's movement forms my thought; It was the same
has my shape: The flash by lik:
reflected in the lines: (The simile is seen in the line, We see our silver skin
(The use of a to dreai:
always and above it is the man.): reflected in the lines - World is what you swim in; will not deepen
memory): (The use of Alliteration is of water on a single note
reflects me for myself): Metaphor ( We circle well-worn grooves/were blessed and now we ar
in; out of love other's movement... The other knows; we
Repetition The other has my shape: The blessed.)The poem also works on a series of contrasts between ti:
no longer
not blessed... And now we are earlier free state.
phins' present confined state to their
adolphin. In some measure one might
regard ii
written a dramatic monologue in the voice of
Carol Ann Duffy has
frequency only normally perceived by the very creatures that form its subject. A warm
as a poem that tunes in to a light of thi:
the dolphin is very close to humans. It is also a sophisticated communicator. In the
blooded mammal, language. There is
appropriate that the poet should give voice to the creature that seems to have a real tensio..
it seems
dignity detectable in its voice when it speaks of being in its element but not free. This and th:
pathos and conveying the dolphins' natural affinity with humans
introduces a conflict that is articulated in the poem known as a befriender of human beings in trouble at
propensity for causing misery. Tbe dolphin is well
latter's their abductors. The dolphins are clearly abused in the
sea. It is ironic that those same human beings should be
poem.

The poem The Dolphins in the viewpoint of dolphins revealsThethe sufferings and sadness in their hopeless life. S
Iong as human intervention is there, there is no redemption. poem thus, indirectly requests human beings n
as much the right to live in their natural habit:
have
to destroy the natural habitats of animals and their lives. They
as we humans have.
very simple terms, the dolphin expresses its pain.
Seen from the buman perspective, the story is not different. n suffering.
confinement which in tun symbolizes human condition and The poem pivots around the concept ;
freedom. Man has built this complex society and has lost much of his freedom in the process. Not only human
Loinge make whatever is natural unnatural, he prevents himself and other animals the freedom which is patura'y
man creates artificial entertainment whi:
ovailable for all. When ife itself could be an entertainment in itself,
fares no better than what he has enslaved
Eoally becomes uninteresting even for the entertainer. Thus the master