Form (4)

The dramatic monologue is a collage of references presented in a prose-like structure (28 lines) The limitations of space disallow an exhaustive exploration of all the facets of Thatcher’s Britain that is under attack from consumerism - economy on words The title has both literal and metaphorical significance - the 'English' that is translated refers to the language distorting as it passes through translation - it could also be a reference to the British population and Duffy's efforts in understanding their values The epigraph, "...and much of the poetry, alas, is lost in translation..." makes it clear that the intrinsic values that should ground us are sometimes lost