In the poem "Quickdraw" by Carol Ann Duffy, the central theme of love can be found in the poem's use of imagery and language.
“Quckdraw” is an old western term for a conflict between 2 people. So gathering from the poems title we can see the old western influence on the poem. The poems opening line shows that they are swapping a mobile phone for guns. The poem is constructed of 16 lines of free verse in 4 stanzas.
In the first stanza a simile is used "the mobiles and the landline phones, like guns" this compares phones to guns, suggesting that they both have the power to inflict pain on each other, this is also showing a modern turn on guns.
The word "slung" suggests the speaker keeps the phone ready at all times, like one might hold on to a gun if they were in danger. The poet then uses enjambment on the line "I'm all alone" with the emphasis on the word 'alone' which could suggest the speaker may in fact be alone or could be vulnerable.…show more content… In the third stanza the word “high noon” is a direct reference to the film showing that the persona in the poem is like the Sheriff like they're walking into a battle, like they're in a fierce gun fight with their lover.
Calamity is a reference to Calamity Jane, not only is the relationship at this point a real calamity, but it's also a double meaning because Calamity Jane was a love interest in the 1950's western
