Duffy's Perspective on Religion in "Confession" and "Prayer" Anonymous 11th Grade

The poet Carol Anne Duffy presents two different attitudes towards religion in her poems “Prayer” and “Confession.” In "Prayer," Duffy contemplates how, in the absence of organised religion, comfort can instead be found in ordinary, prosaic occurrences. These usually insignificant experiences instead become a source of consolation for the unknown people discussed in the poem. These works also hinge on the poet's recollection of her childhood experience of the Catholic practice of Confession. Apparent, Duffy found this form of devotion a frightening, repressive experience.

"Prayer" is a secular version of the conventional religious prayer, written in the form of a sonnet. In it, the poet seeks to convey the idea that people without a religious faith can find solace in ordinary, everyday experiences. Duffy speaks for the secular community, and represents this group through the unknown people in the poem: ‘a woman, a man, the lodger.’ Moreover, Duffy includes herself in this group, as we can see by the use of the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘us,’ showing that this work was written in the poet’s own voice. An absence of religion is mentioned in this poem through the phrases ‘although we cannot pray’ and ‘although we are faithless.’ Despite...