How does Carol Ann Duffy portray a sinister persona in the poem, "Education for Leisure" and "Stealing"?.
The poet, Carol Ann Duffy portrays malevolent and restless personas in the poems; "Education for Leisure" and "Stealing". In the poem "Education for Leisure", Duffy presents a dramatic monologue of an anonymous that commits crimes and explores his hostile desires against living objects due to the boredom the persona suffers in the poem "Education for Leisure". Likewise, Duffy presents a rather lonely yet manipulative character in the poem "Stealing", who often purloins for the thrill of watching inferior beings suffer, although stealing items which have no use to him. .
The anonymous person in "Education for Leisure" represents an evil persona by his belief of playing God. The unnamed believes that he is God, someone who is above and beyond everyone and in this way, he could control everyone and would have the power to kill anyone or give anyone life. He expresses his thoughts by stating his desires; this represents arrogance for his needs as he sets a challenge to everyone. Furthermore the unnamed fulfills his actions of being a 'God' and decides to end of the fly's life; furthermore telling the reader that the unnamed wants to be controlling and wanted the society to view him in a different way so that to only be above everyone; likewise, this shows that as 'God' the unnamed feels no remorse or guilt upon his actions. .
Furthermore the unnamed 'squash(es) a fly' by using his 'thumb', which indicates to the reader the unnamed brutally murders the fly and not caring how to kills it with but his thumb. The unnamed further in the poem attends his duties of being 'God' therefore putting an end to a goldfish's life; additionally showing pride for what actions he has done; moreover showing that the anonymous had a need to killed animals as he had felt good.