Ideas about gender
writer and effect on the
“At childhood’s end” - The
character has really
entered adulthood, or
adolescence, maybe even
just sexual maturity
considering the theme of
the poem.
”Playing fields” - The
‘playing fields’ have
additional significance, in
that initially they are a
metaphor for life that is
‘equal’ for all, as in ‘level
playing field’. Yet in the
real adult world it is the
men or ‘wolves’ who have
dominated. In this poem,
however, the feminist
Techniques used by the
forming your own identity
reader
“like mistresses” - This simile
suggests infidelity and
misplaced devotion. Also,
suppression and
‘underground’ emotions;
what the formal safe world
doesn’t reveal.
“wolfy drawl” - The
onomatopoeic word ‘drawl’
suggests arrogance, someone
who speaks in a confident,
slow way, utterly sure of
themselves.
The reader can draw parallels
between the
anthropomorphised wolf of
Red Riding Hood, and the idea
Ideas about growing up and
and poetry
“one chop, scrotum and throat” -
The “scrotum” and the “throat” are
both symbols of masculinity. The
throat represents the wolf’s ability
to read literature aloud. Duffy
could’ve simply said that Red Cap
“killed the wolf with an axe” but she
decided to include this rather
graphic description to highlight that
Red Cap has now left childhood and
has entered adulthood.
“But then I was young” - She is
telling this story from ten years
distance and recognises how naive
she was. The “ten years in the
woods” represent the years of her
youth when she was gaining
experience.
Ideas about the importance of art
“love poem” - The love poem
recurs as a metaphor for their
liaison.
“Reading his verse out loud” - This
conveyes the idea that he is
intellectual and educated, a
published author, in contrast to the
original character.
A “verse” is generally scripted, as
hinted by his “paperback”. It
suggests that this a scripted
flirtation that he uses to seduce
multiple women
Duffy allows the female of the ‘lone wolf bad boy’
Red Cap to gain control. women are stereotypically
supposed to find attractive.
Duffy is re-casting the original
fairy tale so that the wolf is an
intellectual man, but the
patriarchal, dominant and
dangerous male predator is
still present.

“Kneeling married men” - “drawl” “paw” “jaw” – rhyme
There is a hint of irony perfectly with claw. Also
here. It is not usual to important are the consonants:
associate men who enjoy ”clearing”, “reading” and
gardening and growing “staining”. These rhyming
vegetables in an allotment devices create a tension and
to be the type to be drawn intensity after the gentle
to illicit love affairs. introduction.
The description “hairy paw”
suggests overt maleness and a
sexual predator. Women
sometimes refer to unwanted
sexual advances and touching
as being “pawed”.
“I took an axe to the wolf as he “Season after season, same
slept” - This harsh depiction of rhyme, same reason” - The last
wolf’s death shows Little Red Cap’s line is repetitive and rhythmic, the
resentment and power. The noun rhyme predictable — “season”
‘chops’ is used in fifth stanza in the and “reason” fall off the tongue
sense of ‘lips’ — the expression without originality. We may think
‘licking one’s chops’ means enjoying of the idiom “without rhyme of
one’s food. It is a metaphor for the reason” – a cliche. The wolf no
wolf’s enjoyment of sex with Red longer suits Red Cap.
Cap. In this stanza the word ‘chop’
is used to suggest that she kills him.
This time It is a metaphor for his
power that she is capable of
destroying. She now has equal if not
greater power of her own, and is
taking revenge while he sleeps.
Sleeping is, of course, an indication
that he lacks perception, is unaware
that she has changed and seeks
more independence.