Poet Carol Anne Duffy presents two different attitudes toward religion in her poems "Prayer" and "Confession." In “Prayer,” Duffy reflects on how, in the absence of organized religion, one can instead find solace in ordinary, prosaic events. These usually insignificant experiences instead become a source of consolation for the unknown people spoken of in the poem. These works are also based on the poet's memory of her childhood experience of the Catholic practice of Confession. Duffy apparently found this form of devotion to be a frightening and repressive experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay “Prayer” is a secular version of conventional religious prayer, written in sonnet form. In it, the poet tries to convey the idea that people without religious faith can find comfort in ordinary, everyday experiences. Duffy speaks on behalf of the secular community and represents this group through the unknown people in the poem: "a woman, a man, the lodger". Furthermore, Duffy includes herself in this group, as we can see from the use of the pronouns "we" and "us", proving that this work was written in the voice of the poet. The absence of religion is mentioned in this poem through the phrases "though we cannot pray" and "though we are without faith." While people cannot turn to religion for consolation in difficult times, they can find comfort through memories and through appreciating the little things in life. There are references to these moments of consolation throughout the poem. A woman is relieved from her despair and "lifts her head from the sieve of her hands", seeing the beauty of nature, "gazing at the lows sung by a tree". The realization of the simple joy of being is given to her as a 'sudden gift'. This sequence has the connotation of taking the woman to a better place, of providing relief at a time when she needed consolation. Duffy writes of a man who "hears his youth in the distant Latin song of a train." Driven by the sounds, he is cheered by memories of his former life, perhaps taking him back to a happier, more grounded time. The poet writes of a tenant who is consoled by "grade 1 piano scales", perhaps played by their child who is learning to play the piano. Comfort is offered through this small daily event. Duffy references the importance of these instances when he writes of “that familiar pain,” the recognition of uncomfortable truths, that can come to us “some nights” when we are most vulnerable to our thoughts. The use of the anaphoric phrases 'some days, some nights' conveys a sense of normality and the inevitability of this pain and fear; such a state is something we all experience at some point in our lives. This fear and unease is further reflected in the poem when Duffy speaks of the “darkness outside.” This "darkness" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the "darker" aspects of life, the harsh realities. It creates a contrast in the next line with the more comforting “radio prayer” within. The safety and familiarity of the “internal radio” suggests that familiar regularities and comforts such as these help keep us protected from the “darkness” of the outside world. The poem ends with a rhyming couplet with an excerpt from the shipping forecast, "Rockall". Malin. Doggers. Finisterre." This phrase also conveys a sense of comfort. Navigation forecasts help guide sailors home in the dark, another possible.