Duffy presents gender in the poems Litany and Havisham through society's opinions and expectations of women, and the effects it has on them shows how to be women is harmful to their well-being. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayLitany creates an example of an ideal and successful woman. The reference to the “American Tan” brand creates an image of all-American women: wholesome and patriotic, the perfect kind of housewife to have, respectful of their husbands, and effortlessly conforming to society's expectations. The women's "red smiles" allow the reader to infer that they manage to put effort into their appearance for the sake of their husbands, taking care of the family and home, and maintaining a positive outlook - once again, fulfilling women's role in daily life. time. Alternatively, the red of their lips connotes pain (blood) and danger, showing that it may all be a facade and that underneath the makeup they are struggling and dissatisfied with the unsatisfying and monotonous life they lead. The 'Pyrex' and 'passing the catalogue' repeat the idea of ​​the women mentioned as simple housewives and nothing more - even when they were with friends, they still talked about housework, rather than anything else they might find more enjoyable; these women have literally dedicated their lives to being an unpaid housekeeper. This is Duffy showing the context of the time she grew up in: in the 1950s and 1960s, women had no expectations of being anything more or less than mothers and housewives, and patriarchal society had the traditional values ​​of nuclear families. Havisham creates an example of the unsuccessful woman of the time: the word "spinster" and the bitter tone next to it present the idea of ​​being past a certain age and unmarried as tragic and the epitome of what women they didn't want to Be. Havisham's "yellowed" dress shows how non-exemplary women did not take care of themselves, in contrast to the carefully made-up women in Litany. The dress no longer being white mimics the fact that Havisham was not as pure or healthy as the ideal woman should be. The "lost body above me" implies that she once had a body above her. implying that Havisham had engaged in premarital sexual intercourse, demonstrating that she was impure; however, it was a taboo subject in the 1950s and 1960s, especially for Havisham, to talk about - Miss Havisham was a character in Dickens' Great Expectations, published in 1860, when social expectations of women were even stricter than in Duffy's time - women had an image of being innocent, prim and proper, the opposite of the brassy Havisham in Duffy's poetry. Despite the way women were presented in Litany, Duffy shows how they were repressed under figurative masks. The fact that "language embarrassed them" shows how women were so reserved and eager to be feminine, they were dumbing themselves down to maintain the appearance of being perfect. Furthermore, the way they “balanced” their smiles shows that it was a forced action that the women struggled to perform, once again, only enduring it because everyone they knew expected them to do so. The use of onomatopoeia with "crackled", as well as "cellophane" and "polyester" evokes the feeling that women and their lives are plastic, and therefore man-made and induced, none of it authentic - it was all false and for show, rather than for their actual happiness. Unlike the Litany, Havisham is openly unhappy. The “whole days” he spent “in bed.