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Analysis of the Poem Elvis´ Twin Sister

Decent Essays

“Elvis’s Twin Sister” is a comical dramatic monologue in the character of Elvis’s imagined twin sister who is a nun and lives in a convent according to Duffy. Presley had a twin brother who died in childbirth, however, Duffy imagines him to be alive but as a girl. Henceforth, the poet shows similarities and differences between Elvis and his fictional female twin sister. Moreover, the poem incorporates Elvis’s rock ‘n’ roll music along with Christianity from a female perspective. This essay will examine the structure, imagery and language used in the poem to contrast Elvis’s life along with his imaginary sister who is a nun and the lavishness of rock ‘n’ roll. The poem has been structured in a way which helps the reader to contrast Elvis’s life along with the relatable things going on in his life by means of effective stanzas used to convey strong emotions. The poem has been portrayed in the form of a song considering Elvis being a musician. Moreover, very short lines have been used in the poem and the lopsided rhyming of words makes it quite indicative towards rock ‘n’ roll. The form in the poem seems regular of five lines in six stanzas each. These things turn out to be quite witty because Duffy uses the southern sound of “y’all” [1] which rhymes with “rock ‘n’ roll” [5] which is directly referring to the lyrics of a song. Additionally, according to Duffy, Elvis’s imagined sister works in a garden and thus is able to hear other nuns singing the Gregorian chant. The other

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