Curse Upon Beauty: Analysis of Carol Ann Duffy’s “Beautiful”

Sinem Özkan

Article Details

Curse Upon Beauty: Analysis of Carol Ann Duffy’s “Beautiful”

Authors:

Sinem Özkan

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.1-13

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304894

pISSN:

2791-7908

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Carol Ann Duffys poem Beautiful presents an unmatched exploration of unusual aspects of beauty. With the use of vivid imagery, allusions, metaphor, and evocative language, the poem analyses the complexities of beauty, and its latent potential to cause the destruction of women in social life. Through the exploration of four different women namely Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Princess Diana of four different times from four different aspects, the poem challenges the conventional notions of beauty by showing both the physical and mental devastation that it brings to womens lives. Thus, Duffys poem revolves around the tragedies of the clearly unidentified but hinted protagonists that become both the symbols and victims of beauty in their ages. By being exposed to the patriarchal conventions, male order, and the gazing eye, Duffy shows how women are entrapped in the social order and how their human status is usurped from them in their inhuman treatment based on their beauty. Duffys presentation of the dark side of beauty reduces womens value into a simple commodity that can be bought and sold in the patriarchal order. This commodification of beauty results in the objectification and exploitation of women in every age. Through the use of different names for different ages, Duffy proves that even though the ages change, the problem remains the same. As a consequence, the appreciation of beauty and what is beautiful no longer preserves its positive value but becomes a curse that poisons womens life. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse how Duffy delves into the complexities of being a woman and being labelled as beautiful in her poem Beautiful.

 Carol Ann Duffys poem Beautiful presents an unmatched exploration of unusual aspects of beauty. With the use of vivid imagery, allusions, metaphor, and evocative language, the poem analyses the complexities of beauty, and its latent potential to cause the destruction of women in social life. Through the exploration of four different women namely Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Princess Diana of four different times from four different aspects, the poem challenges the conventional notions of beauty by showing both the physical and mental devastation that it brings to womens lives. Thus, Duffys poem revolves around the tragedies of the clearly unidentified but hinted protagonists that become both the symbols and victims of beauty in their ages. By being exposed to the patriarchal conventions, male order, and the gazing eye, Duffy shows how women are entrapped in the social order and how their human status is usurped from them in their inhuman treatment based on their beauty. Duffys presentation of the dark side of beauty reduces womens value into a simple commodity that can be bought and sold in the patriarchal order. This commodification of beauty results in the objectification and exploitation of women in every age. Through the use of different names for different ages, Duffy proves that even though the ages change, the problem remains the same. As a consequence, the appreciation of beauty and what is beautiful no longer preserves its positive value but becomes a curse that poisons womens life. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse how Duffy delves into the complexities of being a woman and being labelled as beautiful in her poem Beautiful.

 Carol Ann Duffys poem Beautiful presents an unmatched exploration of unusual aspects of beauty. With the use of vivid imagery, allusions, metaphor, and evocative language, the poem analyses the complexities of beauty, and its latent potential to cause the destruction of women in social life. Through the exploration of four different women namely Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Marilyn Monroe, and Princess Diana of four different times from four different aspects, the poem challenges the conventional notions of beauty by showing both the physical and mental devastation that it brings to womens lives. Thus, Duffys poem revolves around the tragedies of the clearly unidentified but hinted protagonists that become both the symbols and victims of beauty in their ages. By being exposed to the patriarchal conventions, male order, and the gazing eye, Duffy shows how women are entrapped in the social order and how their human status is usurped from them in their inhuman treatment based on their beauty. Duffys presentation of the dark side of beauty reduces womens value into a simple commodity that can be bought and sold in the patriarchal order. This commodification of beauty results in the objectification and exploitation of women in every age. Through the use of different names for different ages, Duffy proves that even though the ages change, the problem remains the same. As a consequence, the appreciation of beauty and what is beautiful no longer preserves its positive value but becomes a curse that poisons womens life. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse how Duffy delves into the complexities of being a woman and being labelled as beautiful in her poem Beautiful.

 Carol Ann Duffynin Güzel şiiri, güzelliğin alışılmadık yönlerinin eşsiz bir incelemesini sunuyor. Şiir, canlı imgeler, imalar, mecaz ve çağrışımcı bir dil kullanarak güzelliğin karmaşıklığını ve kadının sosyal yaşamda yıkımına neden olma potansiyelini analiz eder. Dört farklı kadının -Truvalı Helen, Kleopatra, Marilyn Monroe ve Prenses Diana- dört farklı zamanda dört farklı açıdan incelenmesiyle şiir, kadınların hayatlarına getirdiği hem fiziksel hem de zihinsel yıkımı göstererek geleneksel güzellik kavramına meydan okuyor. Bu nedenle, Duffynin şiiri, çağlarında güzelliğin hem sembolü hem de kurbanı haline gelen, açıkça ismi verilmeyen ancak ima edilen kahramanların trajedileri etrafında döner. Duffy, ataerkil geleneklere, erkek düzenine ve kadını baştan aşağı süzen bakışlara nasıl maruz kaldığını ve dahası, kadınların sosyal düzen içinde nasıl kapana kısıldığını ve güzellikleri nedeniyle insanlık dışı muameleyle insani statülerinin onlardan nasıl gasp edildiğini gösteriyor. Duffynin güzelliğin karanlık tarafını sunması, kadının değerini ataerkil düzende alınıp satılabilen basit bir metaya indirger. Güzelliğin bu metalaştırılması, her yaşta kadının nesneleştirilmesine ve sömürülmesine yol açar. Duffy, şiirde farklı çağlarda farklı isimlerin kullanılmasıyla çağların değişse de sorunun aynı kaldığını kanıtlıyor. Sonuç olarak, güzelliğin ve güzel olanın takdir edilmesi artık olumlu değerini korumaz, kadının hayatını zehirleyen bir lanet haline gelir. Bu nedenle, bu makalenin amacı, Duffynin Beautifull şiirinde kadın olmanın ve güzel olarak etiketlenmenin karmaşıklığının nasıl irdelediğini analiz etmektir.

Article Details

Curse Upon Beauty: Analysis of Carol Ann Duffy’s “Beautiful”

Authors:

Sinem Özkan

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.1-13

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304894

pISSN:

2791-7908

Beautiful

Helen of Troy

Cleopatra

Marilyn Monroe

Princess DianaGüzel

Truvalı Helen

Kleopatra

Marilyn Monroe

Prenses Diana

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Sinem Özkan

Publisher: Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics: İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal: Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.1-13

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2023

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001304894

pISSN: 2791-7908

Issues

Authors:

Sinem Özkan

Publisher:

Mugla Sitki Kocman University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Bitig Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.3 Issue 6, pp.1-13

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304894

pISSN:

2791-7908