Anon

• What are the main themes in ‘Anon’


  • Anonymity
  • Loneliness
  • Gender inequality
• What is the structure of ’Anon’?

  The free verse makes the poem inconsistent and brings a sense of erosion of female voice.
• What’s ‘Anon’ short for?

  Anonymous. Ideas of isolation and loneliness
• How is ‘Anon’ summarised?

  A lament and a call to action
• What’s the significance of ‘If’ in the first line?

  Doubt of her existence
• What’s the use of the pronoun “she”?

  The pronouns are evidence that this woman is faceless and unidentified
• What do the roles “maybe a nurse, a nanny, maybe a nun” have in common?


  They’re traditional motherly roles, nothing spectacular about her influence on the world can be remembered from her life
• What’s the significance of “A girl I met” and “A woman I knew”?


  They’re insignificant people who hold respect for the writer and hold “her skull on a shelf in a room”, shows that the rest of society is careless to the legacy of this woman. Only females care about this woman, and this woman has inspired different generations.
• “it cleared its throat as thought it had something to get off its chest”


  This woman had more to write but was cut-short in her life.
• What quote shows that she has inspired many generations of writers?


  “how she passed on her pen

  like a baton

  down through the years,”
• What’s significant about the end, “hey nonny no-

  Anon.“


  Her voice was cut short, the identity of this inspirational, skilled writer is erased from history.
• How does the title “Anon“ link to Celie?

  Anon means anonymous, which reflects Celie's loneliness in her childhood when God was her only listener in The Color Purple.
• How are traditional female roles imposed by society shown in ”Anon” and “The Colour Purple”?

  Celie is forced to be a mother to Mr_s kids and this woman is only assumed to have been "a nurse, a nanny, maybe a nun -"
• How is restriction of female voice presented in “Anon” and “The Colour Purple”?


  Celie is rarely is asked of her opinion,

  in the poem, this deceased writer "cleared its throat as though it had something to get off its chest.”
• What’s similar about the inconsistent structure of “Anon” to ”The Colour Purple”?

  The free-verse relates to Celia’s disjointed language and lack of vocabulary.
• How do the female inspirations in “Anon” and “The Colour Purple” differ?


  • Celie’s female inspiration is very much alive, thriving and able to push past gender expectations to teach her female solidarity and independence, the writer is only a symbol of hope
  • The female inspiration is "anon (ymous) whereas Shug Avery is famous and still admired.