The opening stanza gives the reader fact after fact; it puts an emphasis on how this is important. The fact that the narrator only remembers his childhood through a series of game-show type answers is very significant is understanding that, that was all that was important to him at this time. However the tone isn't droll, it is very jumpy, highlighting the narrator's energy, optimism and pride in himself. Duffy manages to demonstrate this by using adjectives like 'fizzing', 'whooped' and 'blew like Mick', she also shows his confidence by using self-assured phases like 'No snags', 'Come on', 'I smiled'. She gives these to the reader as short phrases, a pause between facts, it gives the impression

However Duffy manages to completely change the rolling optimistic tone in the fourth stanza by opening it with a very sad longing phrase; 'I want it back.' He wants the feeling of success, knowing what's important and simple availability of answers. 'The captain', he wants his status back. "My name was red on Lucille green's jotter." He wants his admiration back. He then compares himself to child who has gone missing on his way home from school-Duffy seems to mean this as he went missing on his journey after school, his school taught him he would be admired and go far and yet he has ended up in a world he knows nothing about with people who mean nothing to him. His promise of safety has been broken. His view of his family is negative and bitter; 'My stale wife' 'My thick kids', I think Duffy uses this to show that he doesn't care about anything, which doesn't link him to his successful past. I think Duffy also wants to show how he is ashamed at his inadequacy and tries to cover this up by putting other people down. Duffy exemplifies the way his kids are embarrassed at the way he tries to give meaningless facts to give him power by using the word 'wince'.

The way Duffy uses enjambment in the first half of the poem shows his excitement, he wants to tell you everything that shows how great he was before he forgets it, it is childlike. The on-running facts give a melodramatic tone linking back to a lot of people's view of school.

The first two lines of the poem embody 'the stiff haired wives' litany; "candlewick bedspread three piece suite display cabinet". Their religion is belief that the material things they own make up for and cover up all the bad things. Their set responses embody things they have read in magazines. Magazines are known to tell you what you want and just like a religion these women don't question it, they just voice and echo it. The catalogue is their hymn book; "passing the catalogue" and "The Lounge" is spelt with capitals as it is their meeting place, their church. It also suggests the women thought it was more posh to say The Lounge than the front or back room as so demonstrates the pretensions of these wives by a mere capital.

The last two lines of this verse act as a metaphor of the opportunity about to "stammer itself into my curious hands." She is talking about her conscious rebellion to the litany, she know she will get told off that is why she tries to shift the blame by saying, " A boy in the playground said" instead of just saying it. She is 'thrilled' by her shake up of this aggravating play her mother is acting out, I think she is trying to wake her mother up from this world.

The title is very significant; a litany is a form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations read ou

Some common words found in the essay are:
Minister Rhodesia, Form Team, Gonk TV, Kings Queens, little girl, , 'top form team', polyester shirts, set responses, duffy manages, form team', pretending read, tone mood, 'top form, duffy simile,
Approximate Word count = 1846
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)