The Dolphins by Caroll Ann duffy PDF

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The Dolphins’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a dramatic monologue written from the perspective of dolphins. It tries to enumerate the emotions of a dolphin which was once free, swimming around at its own will, but is now confined to an aquarium or a water-park — a place where it does what its owner or trainer tells it to do. Its master uses it to perform tricks to amuse people in the circus. The poem shows how dolphins and other animals are suffering in the hands of men. It urges us to look at the world from their perspective. It conveys the poet’s massage against human cruelty towards animals. On a metaphoric level, the poetess may also want to indicate the troubles of humans who think they are caught in the confines of this world.

The Dolphins: Form and language The poem is simple and straight-forward. The language for most part is plain. But the juxtaposition of simplicity and ambiguity at some places makes an impression on the reader. It is sometimes more suggestive than explicit. Lack of a rhyme scheme and the use of enjambment mark the poem. The poetess uses cliches with a twist. Further, she makes use of repetition to highlight the weariness of the dolphins. The poem is full of pathos. Confinement of dolphins evokes emotions in the minds of readers.

The Dolphins: Line by Line Analysis First Stanza World is what you swim in, or dance, it is simple.

The poem starts with the dolphin speaking in second person, addressing us, the humans. The dolphin goes on to explain its own meaning of the ‘world’, its own expectations about what the world should be like. Advertisements

Given that they reside in water-bodies, it explains that the world should be a place where one is allowed to swim in or dance. It is an expression identifiable with joy and happiness without any restrictions. It is that simple for them. We are in our element but we are not free.

From now onward, the dolphin starts talking in first person (plural). Understandably it is going to tell us its own story of imprisonment.

They are in water in the aquarium doing what they do best (in our element) but they are not free. The poetess plays with the words ‘in our element’, a cliche used to explain what one likes to do, to also mean water, a natural element. Water maybe all around it. But the dolphin is now restricted to the pool and not the expansive ocean it used to dance around in. Advertisements

Outside this world you cannot breathe for long.

Now, the words of the dolphin carry the tone of desolation. It says that outside its aquatic world, it cannot breathe for long. The other has my shape.

With this line, the poetess introduces an element of mystery. Who does “other” point to? This essentially effects an initial ambiguity. It may point to the person who is making the dolphin perform tricks. He may know the pose (shape) the dolphin should take to make the act most entertaining. And the animal, without any say moulds itself into the shape. Or it may point to another dolphin whose movement guides the dolphin’s own movement. It’s like an orchestra where one instrument plays in tandem with others to create a beautiful art-piece. Advertisements

The other’s movement forms my thoughts.

Here, ‘other’ may point to the other dolphin whose movement not just guides the dolphin’s movement, but also its thoughts. It shows how others are controlling its life, its movements and its thoughts. And also mine.

Just the way the movement of the other dolphin moulds how it acts, its actions decide the course for the other dolphin. There is a man and there are hoops. Advertisements

Now, for the first time the dolphin mentions its tormentor. There is a man who makes the dolphin jump through hoops while it performs. ‘Hoops’ point to the cliche ‘jumping through hoops’ but since the dolphins actually jump through hoops on orders, the cliche is overrun.

There is a constant flowing guilt.

Once again readers find this ambiguous. What is the guilt? Who is feeling the guilt? It’s most possibly the dolphin itself as it can only know its own feelings, not others’. The sense of guilt comes from its inability to always perform the way its master wants. It may also feel guilty as it got caught up in the net of the fisherman when it was careless. Or it’s possibly the trainer, as some suggest, as he makes the dolphins do things against their will. That’s an unlikely explanation though, as it goes against the motive of the poem.

Second Stanza We have found no truth in these waters, no explanations tremble on our flesh.

The dolphins usually are very sentient beings. Even their skin is very sensitive to changes around. They have a well-developed sonar system. In spite of all these abilities, the dolphin grieves and mentions it has found no ‘truth’ in these waters. They don’t find this water good for living, as the ocean is their natural living place. There is nothing so pleasing that could stimulate its skin (flesh) — no explanation which may help them make sense of this new world. We were blessed and now we are not blessed.

The voice of dolphin resonates with a depressing tone. It says they were blessed when they were freely roaming in the ocean. But they are not anymore ‘blessed’ to be restricted in the man-made confine. After travelling such space for days we began to translate.

The line signifies how the dolphins are now trying to accept their fate. The dolphins who were used to travelling around in the open waters (space) for days have now started to translate. Here, ‘translate’ points to the fact that the dolphin has to change its mindset to live in this limited water now. It was the same space. It is the same space always and above it is the man.

The dolphins may be surrounded by water (same space). It is the same space they have desired. It explains that what looks essentially same is so different in reality. That is, swimming in pool and in ocean are totally different experiences.

‘Above it is the man’ points to superiority of man. It is figurative. How the man controls the dolphins. But, it is literal when we notice that no matter what these dolphins do, the man, their abductor would constantly watch from above.

Third Stanza The third stanza reiterates the monotony and the problems of the dolphins. But, then it gives voice to the collective of dolphins with ‘we’. They seem to interact and start to feel for each other. They wish to collectively deal with the situation and try to adapt to it while depending on each other. It teaches the nice lesson of compassion, togetherness, and friendship. They find a way to help out each other while caught in this tough world. And now we are no longer blessed, for the world will not deepen to dream in.

The dolphin says that they are now accepting the fact that they are no longer with luck. The world (pool) is not going to deepen into an ocean all of a sudden — a place where they used to dream of their happy, free life. The other knows and out of love reflects me for myself.

This line portrays a wonderful understanding of empathy between these dolphins, something we readers must learn from. The dolphin says that the other dolphin knows its feelings. Despite being in the miserable situation itself, the other dolphin reflects the dolphin for who it is. This is because of the love for each other. It teaches us, the readers the importance of mutual understanding and the strength it gives us in times of adversity. We see our silver skin flash by like memory of somewhere else.

The dolphin is too sad with this new life. Even when it sees a silver skin flash by it simply reminds itself of free, huge ocean (somewhere else). Here, ‘silver skin’ means dolphins swimming around in the tank. The simile paints a visual description of how dolphins are aware of their existence in a collective, their shoal. Not just that, it shows how astutely aware dolphins are of their bodily knowledge. There is a coloured ball we have to balance till the man has disappeared.

The dolphin simply remembers that they need to balance a coloured ball until their master goes away. This is like one teaches a dog to fetch the ball thrown

towards it. It indicates how commanding and controlling humans are on them.

Fourth Stanza The moon has disappeared. Advertisements

The fourth stanza is an embodiment of utmost desolation, confinement and control. When in ocean, it used to follow or circle around the reflection of moon. That moon is no more with them. It can no more circle the moon. We circle well-worn grooves of water on a single note.

Now all the dolphin can do is circle around the movements of the water (grooves of water) which induces a sense of music, which plays on a single note. Duffy uses ‘grooves’ to find a similarity in the water bubbles and the moon. Music of loss forever from the other’s heart which turns my own to stone.

It intensifies when the dolphin hears the ‘music of loss’ in its companion’s voice (other’s heart). When it hears its companions mourning the loss on continual basis, it feels the loss of freedom and joy. This makes it saddened, turns its heart to stone. Advertisements

There is a plastic toy. There is no hope.

A plastic toy is there in the tank possibly for the dolphins to play with. This artificial toy cannot provide the joy of playing around in the free ocean. But there is no hope — no hope to go back to their home. We sink to the limits of this pool until the whistle blows.

The dolphin says they sink to the limits or the boundaries of the pool until the trainer blows his whistle, signalling them to come up and perform the tricks. The another connotation can relate to the fact that these dolphins have given in to their fate and have sunk to their lowest hope — the hope that someone would come and blow the whistle with a good news for them. There is a man and our mind knows we will die here.

Yet, they know for sure there is a man. And, that they will die there. They cannot leave the place even if they want to. ‘Our mind’ points to the collective of the dolphins and their collective intelligence to understand what is going on around them — a sense of belonging in an otherwise nonsense world. Also, the repetition of ‘A man’ from the first stanza in this last stanza emphasises the cycle of suffering the dolphins are going through. This poem may look like collection of simple words and straight lines. But the emotions it entails and the ambiguity it imposes, forces the readers to take a step back and reflect on the essence of freedom. What essentially freedom means to us? How can compassion and empathy save us? And how can we save others while facing the same adversity? The poem provides an answer to all these. SAMPLE QUESTIONS

“The Dolphins” is a protest against abuse of animals and destruction of nature. Elaborate. In her dramatic monologue ‘The Dolphins”, Carol Ann Duffy has presented herself as an animal-lover and protested against the exploits of animals and other natural elements by man. Though the poem only speaks of the deplorable condition of the dolphins who are forced to live in a pool to perform tricks in circus, the theme actually goes beyond this. In a broader view, the dolphins are mere representatives of all such creatures receiving illtreatments in the hands of man. The poet here expresses the sadness in the dolphins’ mind through their own voice using the technique of dramatic monologue. The dolphin says that they are in their ‘element’ to mean they are still living in water, but they are kept away from their natural habitat, i.e., the ocean. They are not free. Freedom is what the dolphin finds most important to be happy. They are not ‘blessed’ anymore as their movements are restricted in a pool and are guided by a man. They cannot even move according to their will; they have to perform tricks as the man wishes in order to entertain people. So, the dolphins are now used for the monetary purpose of humans. They have to balance themselves on a coloured ball. The dolphin regrets repeatedly: We were blessed and now we are not blessed.

The dolphin is sad as it is living a monotonous life in the same space. It is in sharp contrast to what the life was like when they were in the sea. The space is limited. A man is there constantly above them guiding their movements and making them feel guilty. The moon has disappeared for them, not only

literally but also metaphorically. They can no longer see the moon as they are not in the open sea, and the cheerfulness of their free life has now turned gloomy. The dolphin remembers its happy days of the past. It finds its own reflection in the other dolphin’s actions. Its heart turns to stone when it hears the “music of loss” from the other dolphin. … Music of loss forever from the other’s heart which turns my own to stone.

So, there is a sense of loss and there is hopelessness. The only thing they have got to entertain themselves is a plastic toy. That is not the ideal thing they used to use living in the open ocean. The man’s whistle makes them sink to the limit of the pool. There is a tone of suppression. Humans are toying with the innocent animals’ lives. The very last line has a sarcastic tone: There is a man and our mind knows we will die here.

It is as if where there is a man, there is impurity, there is distortion, artificiality and destruction of everything natural. In fact, the existence of a man above them has been repeated in every stanza of the poem to highlight the authority of man not only over the dolphins but also over nature and most other natural creatures. The way man is expanding their reach in this universe and trying to use natural elements in their way, they may eventually end up making a mess with the balance of this universe and its natural aspects. We are slowly but surely destructing nature and its purity. The poet here raises her voice against this destruction through human cruelty towards animals. The dolphin acts as the poet’s voice to convey her message towards the readers that we should respect the rights of animals to live in their natural habitat and should not inflict our cruelty on them.

“The Dolphins” by Carol Ann Duffy is a dramatic monologue. Discuss. Monologue means a speech from a single (mono) person. The main features of a dramatic monologue are:  A single narrator (but not the poet) narrates everything.  One or more other characters are present, but they don’t speak anything directly. We know what they say or do from the narrator’s mouth.  The text reveals the speaker’s character and temperament.

Now, in the poem The Dolphins a dolphin is the single speaker who narrates its deplorable condition in a restricted pool. It not only speaks of itself but also of the other dolphin in which it finds its own reflection. The other dolphin and a man are present in the scene but they remain silent throughout. We come to know of their presence and activities from the single speaker — the speaking dolphin’s voice. Again, the dolphin does not narrate something merely objectively but it reveals its feelings, its sadness, hopelessness, the monotony and even its fellowfeeling for the other dolphin. Revealing the speaker’s heart is an important aspect of a dramatic monologue. Through the monologue of the dolphin Carol Ann Duffy presents the sheer abuse of animals in the hands of man. She protests against this kind of exploitation of wildlife and other natural elements. A dolphin revealing its feelings in its own voice is not at all to give the readers a new kind of amusement; rather underlying it goes a strong message that man has been cruel to nature and its components and it should stop now anyway. She attacks the human prejudice called speciesism and demands the protection of rights of animals who we think are inferior to us and thus inflict illtreatment upon to use them in our way. What is more important in life — freedom or captivity? Explain this in the light of the dolphins’ captivity in the poem ‘The Dolphins’ by Carol Ann Duffy.

The story of the captive dolphins in Duffy’s poem makes us ponder on the question — Which is more important in life, freedom or captivity? Certainly, the answer cannot go only one way here. Freedom and captivity, both have their own role in life. Freedom is what everybody wants to enjoy in life. The dolphins too wish that they get their freedom of roaming about and playing in the large ocean. “We were blessed and now we are not blessed” reveals their regret and sorrow to live in a mere bowl and be guided by a man. But, this is their captivity that makes them realise the importance of freedom. If they were not confined in where they are now, they would never know how it feels to be in captivity and how it is different from the life they had spent while living freely in the ocean. Thus it can be concluded that one should get and enjoy one’s freedom in life, but one should also know the importance of freedom in order to enjoy it fully. Humans and animals often fail to understand the relevance of things as long as they have it in plenty.

The poem Dolphins by Carol Ann Duffy is dramatic monologue that highlights the themes of clostrophobia, nostalgia and the suffering of animals. The poetess successfully voices her opinions through the dolphins, and helps the reader to look at the world through their perspective thus bringing out a strong feeling of empathy and enforcing the reader to step back and look at the essence of freedom. “The world is what you swim in or dance it is simple”

The dolphins consider the world to be a place of enjoyment. It is simple for them. However they no longer view the world with the same conceptions since they are in their “element” but they “are not free”. They no longer reflect upon the simplicity of life after they have been confined by humans. “We have found no truth in these waters, no explanations tremble on our flesh”

The dolphins don’t consider their restricted life worth living as they cannot make sense out of a world that has no sense. they knew what freedom felt like when they were no limits to the vastness of the ocean. The dolphins knew that they “ were blessed” once they were free but now they “are not blessed”. This itself shows how much value the element of freedom has towards an individual. They are confined but that doesn’t stop them from reflecting upon every action as an excuse to have memories from their glorious past. “We see our silver skin flash by like memories of somewhere else”

This line itself brings out the theme of Nostalgia and how “there is constant flowing guilt” ami g the dolphins for having given away to confinement in the first place. But their state has been so deplorable that the believe “there is no hope”. “The moon has disappeared” this line acts as an apt metaphor to signify the loss of hope and the eventual succumbing to drudgery. ”It was the same place. It is the same place”

Water might be an element that is common to both an ocean as well as an aquarium . But the dolphins understood how different they were from each other once they were subjected to the latter. Thus it was perhaps confinement that acted as an epiphany and helped the dolphins to realize the significance of freedom. Even though these terms might be juxtaposed to each other it was the importance of snatching away their freedom that made the dolphins realize what freedom truly meant. How is the world of thralldom or bondage depicted in Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “The Dolphins”?

In her poem “The Dolphins” Carol Ann Duffy lends voice to a dolphin to express its feelings living in a pool in its own words. The dolphin describes how their life of thraldom has been different from the life when they enjoyed complete freedom in the open ocean. In fact, the poem opens with the dolphin saying what true ‘world’ would be like: World is what you swim in, or dance, it is simple.

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