Litany

• The key theme of ‘Litany’ is growing up
• There is a clear indication to themes such as childhood, societal standards and women’s stereotypes
• The speaker is reflecting on their childhood upbringing in the 1960s
• There is a clear indication to a facade which masks the fragility of the social veneer
• Modesty is exaggerated to reinforce the stereotypes of women and repression in the 1960s
• Stereotypically, women were expected to care for their family and take care of household chores
• ’Litany’ explores the power of language and how this shapes the speaker’s identity and childhood upbringing
• There is a motif of language as representing power
• The speaker is from a child’s perspective
• A Litany is a repetitive chant or prayer usually in a church
• Although the speaker is brought up to respect the expectations of women in that time period, there is a sense of a carefree attitude where the speaker occasionally breaks free from the conventional restraints.