In the poems 'Stealing" and 'Mrs Tilcher"s Class" Carol Ann Duffy tells us about life through different people"s eyes . In both her poems she uses simple words and metaphors to express her views. Stealing shows us how boring life could be without friends. The observation here is that she motivates people against antisocial behavior. In 'Mrs Tilchers Class" Carol Ann Duffy illustrates the difference stages of life in a child.

             'Stealing" is a poem in the form of a persona. It depicts a lonely life without family and friends in which the thief finds different ways of stealing in order to amuse himself. He states 'Mostly I"m so bored I could eat myself". He is so bored that he steals a snowman in order to make a friend. He finds out that his 'friend" has many characteristics in common to him. His friend had ' a mind as cold as the slice of ice within my own brain".

             The poet has a conversational tone such as asking questions. We are hearing only part of the conversation. The poem is set on a cold chilly night. .

             The poet is more cynical and formal when she is talking about the snowman.

             The phrase 'an idle mind is a devil"s workshop" is very applicable here since the thief has nothing to do, so to keep himself busy he breaks into people"s homes. He has a rather ruthless philosophy of life that 'better of dead than giving in, not taking what you want". He steals not for money but for the pleasure. He tries to be part of families by collecting photographs of them, this is evidence of his loneliness.

             Carol Ann Duffy has used an irony of the thief hugging the snowman. Hugging is associated with warmth, here it is done to a snowman which would obviously be cold. There is another irony when she says that he"s having a 'joyride" when he"s not having fun, he"s just doing it for the sake of it.

             'Mrs Tilcher"s Class" is a nostalgic poem.