The poem 'Before You Were Mine' by Carol Ann Duffy reflects on the speaker’s nostalgic memories of her mother before she became a mother herself. The poet uses vivid imagery and poetic techniques to explore themes of identity, memory, and the passage of time. The speaker contemplates her mother’s youth, freedom, and the vibrant life she led, contrasting it with her own understanding of her mother’s current responsibilities. The poem employs techniques such as caesura, enjambment, and metaphor to evoke emotion and deepen the reader’s connection with the speaker’s perspective. For example, phrases like 'the fizzy, wild, and glamorous' suggest the lively past, while the line 'your polka-dot dress blows round your legs' visualises the carefree youth. This contextual background helps to understand the emotional tone and poetic style of the poem, which celebrates and mourns the loss of youth and innocence.

1. 'The fizzy, wild, and glamorous' — which poetic technique is primarily used here? 2. 'Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs' — identify the technique and explain its effect. 3. In the line 'Before you were mine,' what is the significance of the repetition of 'before'? 4. 'Your polka-dot dress' — what visual imagery does this create? 5. The phrase 'the fizzy, wild, and glamorous' uses a list. What effect does this list have on the tone? 6. Explain the use of enjambment in the poem and give an example. 7. Identify the line that employs caesura and describe its impact. 8. How does the poet use metaphor to compare the mother’s past to the present? 9. Find and analyse a line where alliteration is used. What mood does it evoke? 10. Discuss how the poet’s diction contributes to the nostalgic tone of the poem.