Facts
Who is the author of the Poem?
Carol Ann Duffy.
Is Midas' ability a gift or a curse
Both are valid answers (Free Points)
When does the poem take place?
Late September
Fill in the blank word:
You knew you were getting close. Golden trout
on the grass. One day, a hare hung from a larch,
a beautiful lemon mistake. And then his ___,
glistening next to the river’s path. He was thin,
delirious; hearing, he said, the music of Pan
from the woods. Listen. That was the last straw.
Footprints
The poem is told from which character’s perspective.
Mrs.Midas
What 2 Characters are mentioned in the Poem?
Midas and Mrs. Midas.
The poem warns about the dangers of this human desire? What other word can summarize that?
Greed.
What was the object Ms. Midas saw Midas turn to Gold?
A twig
Fill in the blank words:
It was late September. I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun
to unwind, while the vegetables cooked. The kitchen
filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath
gently blanching the windows. _________,
then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow.
He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig.
So I opened one
How does Duffy’s reimagining of a classical myth from a female perspective reflect feminist ideas?
Gives a voice to women who often are silenced.
How many stanzas are in the poem?
11.
Duffy uses Mrs. Midas to explore this theme about wanting objects more than affection, this is also known as:
Materialism.
The food Mr. Midas turns into gold at dinner.
Fill in the blank quote/sentence:
how he’d had a wish. Look, we all have wishes; granted.
But who has wishes granted? Him. Do you know about gold?
It feeds no one; aurum, soft, untarnishable; slakes
no thirst. He tried to light a cigarette; I gazed, entranced,
as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. At least,
I said, _______________.
You’ll be able to give up smoking for good
“The kitchen filled with the smell of itself” is an example of which technique?
Personification.
What genre of Myths is Mrs Midas ?
Greek mythology.
The was the emotional consequence of Mr. Midas’s wish on their relationship?
Isolation/Separation.
What does Mrs. Midas do to protect herself.
She separates herself from him (Different room)
Fill in the blank lines:
I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob.
Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich.
_____________________.
He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand,
a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy, then watched
as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank.
He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks
The irony in Mrs. Midas’s tone throughout the poem stems from what?
Emotional damage caused by Midas’s selfishness.
When was the Poem written?
1999.
The poem critiques society’s obsession with what?
Wealth (Gold).
The first sign something is wrong happens in this location.
Garden
Fill in the blank lines:
Now the garden was long and the visibility poor, the way
the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky,
but that twig in his hand was gold. And then he plucked
a pear from a branch. – we grew Fondante d’Automne –
__________
_________________?
and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On.
I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree
What is the effect of blending domestic, everyday language with mythological elements in the poem?
Highlights the absurdity of Midas's wish in a modern setting.