In the poem "The Map Woman," Carol Ann Duffy uses the extended metaphor of a map imprinted on a woman's body to explore ideas surrounding hometowns, childhood and nostalgia. This is immediately introduced in the first line where the reader learns that "a woman's skin was the map of the town where she had grown up since childhood." In an attempt to hide her hometown from the world, the character covers herself as much as possible due to the shame she feels. This culminates in her shedding her skin in the penultimate stanza. With such a metaphor, certain images are created in the reader's mind, such as that of a snake or the human body. This could ultimately be reduced to three main concepts: location, permanence and identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The extended metaphor used in the poem allows Duffy to show how the woman's body and the map become one. The figurative language of the second stanza connects the anatomy of his body to the location of different features of his hometown, such as his statement that "its veins [are] like shadows beneath the lines of the map, the river a artery.” The language used suggests that, like an "artery" and a "vein", the character needs this map and the characteristics of their city to survive. This idea of ​​the character relying on the map continues later in the same stanza, where she states that "if you crossed the bridge at its knoll, turned left and right, you would come to the tombs." The syntax of this sentence as well as the use of the terms “left” and “right” can be interpreted by the reader as the character giving directions. This effect is further emphasized by the poet, through the direct address used in words like “you”. This can be done so that the reader feels like they are in that city and can thus identify more closely with the main character. The poet not only suggests to the reader that he needs the map for guidance, but he also gives the impression that the character is advertising his hometown to him. Such ideas surrounding trust contrast with the tone throughout the novel, however; implying that she wants to forget this city as much as possible. However, the reader questions this after the character is able to remember many neighborhoods and streets in his hometown, such as "Nelson", "Churchill", "Kipling", and "Milton". Such remembrance of all these different places alludes to the fact that the main character is actually homesick. The extended metaphor of the map on his skin reveals the character's inner confidence and longing for his hometown. In relation to tone, the metaphor is also able to reveal the inner conflict she feels regarding the attitudes she has towards her home. This inner conflict is expressed through themes surrounding permanence and change; which are continually referenced throughout the poem. These themes are introduced in the first stanza where the card is defined as a “birthmark, tattoo”. Both of these marks are permanent on the skin, but the difference lies in the cause. Birthmarks are natural and occur from birth, while people choose to get tattoos later in life. With this in mind, the reader may be able to understand the cause of this card in different ways. If it's interpreted as a "birthmark", the character may be trying to say how being born in this town automatically made it and,.