Analyse how meaning is presented in Carol Ann Duffy's 'Bees' Amelie Maurice-Jones 12th Grade

Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Bees’- through the extended metaphor of a swarm of bees used to represent the process of writing a poem- focuses on the capacity of words to excite and invigorate the reader and author alike. Indeed, poetry is presented as having an intrinsic richness throughout the poem that the speaker believes should be treasured and valued. This can be explained in terms of the personification of poetry as vibrant and dynamic throughout the poem- which, implies that the poem is in a certain sense ‘alive' therefore deserves equal respect as a living thing.

Through the extended metaphor of a swarm of bees- Duffy hones into the element of surprise that is entailed by the writing process of a poem- as the words seem to come alive once written down. Such is demonstrated through Duffy’s use of syndetic lists throughout the poem, creating a sense of steady pace mirroring the writer’s desperation to formulate her stream of thought into sentences, one example of this being the catalogue of flowers in the opening stanza ‘daffodil, thistle, rose’. Indeed, the idyllic natural image suggests that the speaker’s poems seem to be blooming to life in front of her. Indeed, that the dangerous picture of a ‘thistle’ is framed by two flowers...