Analysis Of Circe Poem

Circe

Circe was a goddess in the Odyssey who enchanted Odysseus' crew into pigs, and was forced to release them only when Odysseus had help from Hermes to overcome her. In the poem Circe, CarolAnn Duffy is saying that all men are pigs, and the best thing to do with pigs is to cut them up and turn them into stew.
The poem describes the various ways in which all parts of a pig could andshould be cooked. In doing this she is able to relive the memory of when she once had the power to change men into pigs.
The first stanza details the various types of pigs and their characteristics.These are clearly intended to refer in to man. Some have 'yobby, porky colognes’; they may be 'hogs' or 'runts' and make unappealing noises such as 'oinks', 'grunts' or 'squeals'.
She remembers thetongues of men and their skills to 'lick' and 'lubricate' although she is still ostensibly talking about pigs.
Remember the skills of the tongue –
To lick, to lap, to loosen, lubricate, to lie
In thesoft pouch of the face
In here Duffy reminds us that while men can use their tongues sexually (lick, lap, loosen, lubricate) the main thing that men do is deceive 'to lie'.
In stanza two, Circegrants that they may have been 'handsome', 'cowardly' or brave' but they share the common characteristic of: 'piggy eyes'. The instructions 'to strew with salt and cloves' and to 'Season with mace' showthe cook pointing out that there can be no room for false sentiments.
The third stanza is more arguments of what pigs were in life and the cooking processes are easily seen to men. Their ears may be'singed', 'boiled' or 'scraped'. A 'simmering lug' provides revenge for the female who was never listened
The final stanza shows herself concerning a time when she 'was younger', desired and 'hopingfor men' but this is curtailed by the emphatic close 'Now, let us baste that sizzling pig on the spit once again.'
With all this we can conclude that this is a feminist poem against men, comparing...