Girl Talking
Poem
On our Eid day my cousin was sent to
the village. Something happened. We think it was pain.
She gave wheat to the miller and the miller
gave her the flour. Afterwards it did not hurt,
so for a while she made chapatis. Tasleen,
said her friends, Tasleen, do come out with us.
They were in a coy near the swing, It’s like
a field. Sometimes we planted melons, spinach,
marrow, and there was a well. She sat on the swing,
They pushed her back till she shouted, Stop the swing,
then she was sick. Tasleen told them to find
help. She made blood beneath the mango tree.
Her mother held her down. She thought something
was burning her stomach. We paint our hands.
We visit. We take each other money.
Outside, the children played Jack-with-Five-Stones.
Each day she’d carried water from the well
into the Mosque. Men washed and prayed to God.
After an hour she died. Her mother cried.
They called a Holy Man. He walked from Dina
to Jhang Chak. He saw her dead, then said,
She went out at noon and the ghost took her heart.
From that day we were warned not to do this.
Baarh is a small red fruit. We guard our hearts.
General analysis
- Raises concerns about
- Themes:
- Patriarchy
- Pain/molestation
- Ill-treatment of women
- Narrated by a young girl - matter of fact.
- Increases dramatic effect, the girl is oblivious to what happened
- Significance of title - ‘girl talking’ - is
- The readers can infer from what she said
- Duffy keeps her language very precise and non-emotional
- Precision of language shows the indifference of society
- The ambiguity in the timeline of the poem shows the situation’s generality
- Anyone can face these circumstances
- Tasleen’s problems are timeless
Structure
- Regular structure
- shows the fixed, unmoving structure of society
- Women are completely crushed by it, cannot speak up or do what they went
- no scope of change
- Undeveloped sentences
- Direct
- Keeps the pace moving, which shows the readers how fast everyone got over it
- This event is something that people reflect about only after it has happened - the pace of the poem allows Duffy to have the reader only reflect about the event after the poem concludes.
Analysis
On our Eid day my cousin was sent to
the village. Something happened. We think it was pain.
- Ambiguity in what happened
- The child’s use of the word ‘pain’ hints at the nature of the activity
She gave wheat to the miller and the miller
- Millers were considered untrustworthy characters.
gave her the flour. Afterwards it did not hurt,
- Ironic
- Duffy does not mention what happened
so for a while she made chapatis. Tasleen,
- Emphasises gender stereotypes
said her friends, Tasleen, do come out with us.
- Her friends are completely oblivious regarding what happened to her
They were in a coy near the swing, It’s like
a field. Sometimes we planted melons, spinach,
- Lexical cluster of agriculture
marrow, and there was a well. She sat on the swing,
They pushed her back till she shouted, Stop the swing,
- Swinging might be a metaphor for her breaking some sort of boundary
then she was sick. Tasleen told them to find
help. She made blood beneath the mango tree.
- The mango tree represents fertility
- “Made blood” - euphemism for miscarriage
- Tasleen lost her child under the mango tree
Her mother held her down. She thought something
was burning her stomach. We paint our hands.
- The naive interpretation of the narrator contrasts with the gravity of the situation
- Only her mother is helping her
We visit. We take each other money.
- Short sentences show the erratic nature of the situation
- Indifference of society
Outside, the children played Jack-with-Five-Stones.
Each day she’d carried water from the well
- Tasleen is working and toiling for the benefit of men
- Reflects the overarching theme of partiarchy
into the Mosque. Men washed and prayed to God.
- The fact that this is happening on Eid day is ironic:
- Eid day is supposed to be a day of joy and festivities
- However, she was raped and subject to a miscarriage
- Men can ‘wash’ their sins away, whereas Tasleen’s sins will be worn by her forever
After an hour she died. Her mother cried.
- Honest, naive narration by the child.
- There is no exaggeration.
- Only the mother cried - shows the indifference of society.
They called a Holy Man. He walked from Dina
to Jhang Chak. He saw her dead, then said,
She went out at noon and the ghost took her heart.
- She never ‘went’ out, she was sent.
- Going out represents crossing boundaries. However, Tasleen never did any of this.
- The holy man’s explanation is very simplistic and effortless —> sham, covering up of the incident.
- The miller’s sins are being covered up, and Tasleen is being blamed.
From that day we were warned not to do this.
- In this society, this event was viewed as Tasleen’s fault.
- Girls are targeted rather than helped.
Baarh is a small red fruit. We guard our hearts.
- Baarh is the fruit from the holiest tree in Islamic culture. Represents:
- Temptation
- Virginity
- Passion
- The children ‘guard their hearts’: