The Cord

• What are the main themes of “The Cord”?

  Maternity and Motherhood
• What story does ”The Cord” tell?

  The intimacy of the biological and spiritual process of pregnancy
• What technique is used with the word “cord“ in “The Cord”?

  It becomes an extended metaphor
• ”They cut the cord..” (The Cord)

  • Not Duffy’s choice, society caused their separation
  • Slightly brutal, severance, irreparable bond lost, lack of protection
• “..she was exactly the length of her mother’s nursing elbow to the tip of her thumb.” (The Cord)

  • Fragility, importance of how tiny she was, unique experience
• “..what the cord had looked like - had a princess spun it from a golden spinning wheel? Could the cord be silver? Was it real?” (The Cord)

  • Child like curiosity
  • Imagery of fairytales
  • Fantasy vs Reality
  • Special child, love
• “..the roots of an ancient oak,“ (The Cord)

  • Long passage of motherhood through past generations, incredibly deep roots
• “..the tangled knot of a riddle or the weird ribbon“

  “..like black unreadable books“ (The Cord)

  • Parents don’t have all the answers, life’s mysteries the child is exploring in its own, sobering idea
• Whats the structure of “The Cord”?

  Child grows as stanzas develop
• “So she went on foot to the forest..” (The Cord)

  • Alone, wanting ownership of her life and test the boundaries
  • Mystery and confusion, imagery of a cautionary tale
• “..not a breath or a word” (The Cord)

  • Breaking of innocence, developing maturity as she is her origins, not a cord
• “following a bird which disappeared, a waving hand; shadows blurred into one huge darkness” (The Cord)

  • Hello / goodbye?
  • Life is confusing
• “but the stars were her mother’s eyes and the screech of an owl..” (The Cord)

  • Her mother is her guide
  • Owl is symbolic of wisdom and knowledge, a constant maternal figure watches over
• “..was the sound of a baby’s cry.” (The Cord)

  • Motherhood is a loop, begins and ends with birth