THE LAUGHTER OF

STAFFORD GIRLS’
HIGH
A mock-epic poem?
An allegory

So…..what is the allegory in “The Laughter of Stafford Girls’ High”?

Get into groups/pairs. For each of the following statements, use your poem to make notes and start to
develop interpretations / consider Duffy’s message:

• The relationship between the laughter and feminism

• The effect of feminism / the laughter on different generations

• Laughter is liberating and feminism is often described as the liberation of women. But what does the
poem show the women as being liberated from? What are the things holding them back before the
laughter started?

• Do you think the teachers in the poem are in any similar to the Aunts in The Handmaid’s Tale ?
So, what is Duffy suggesting that the women in the poem want, besides a husband, children and a home?

Complete the activity on the handout “Teachers Transforming”, thinking carefully about how the teachers
are presented before and after the laughter, but most importantly, trying to draw conclusions as to what
Duffy’s message might be.
In your groups, collect evidence from the poem that shows language as being a product of patriarchal society.