Literary Analysis Of Marie Howe's 'Practicing'

In the opening, she shares her childhood encounters with women in prose with the children’s rhyme “a little girl who had a curl”. This personal anecdote introduces the topic of the portrayal of women in literature, as well as establishes a connection with her audience.

In the poem, the mother takes her daughter to a pool party composed of boys. The speaker watches the children dive into the pool and imagines her daughter working math problems to calculate the gallons of water. As she watches the young girl climb out of the pool in her hamburger and french fry print swimming suit, she notes that the other young girls are looking at the boys, and as well as her daughter, she is beginning to recognize the appeal of their masculinity. The language of the poem is associated with the childness of the young girl. The description the speaker gives of the girl leads the reader to believe she is a child. She calls her “my girl,” and describes her of having a sweet face and a sleek ponytail. “She will glisten in the brilliant air, and they will see her sweet face” (1115), the diction of Olds word choice demonstrates the innocence of a young child beginning to approach maturity. She provides detailed portrayal of the character to provide the reader with an image of the diminishing childhood innocence of the

Like a template. Every family had to have one of these. Families during this time did not bond or grow up together, but had been brought and constructed. Another example of sexism can be found in stanza five, as Dawe says, ‘’… and then it was goodbye stars and the soft/ cry in the corner when no one was looking…’’ This shows the audience that in this society, during this time period, men were also stereotyped as they were not allowed to cry. They DO NOT cry.

One of the norms Kincaid questions is virginity, whether sex is actually meaningful, that it could be enjoyable without the feeling of love. As a nineteen-year-old girl, Lucy is new to what a sexual relationship could have

The third stanza contains more colorful descriptions of the women of Marblehead, but the general impression is the same. They come in a range of ages. There are old and worn women, "Wrinkled scolds with hands on hips." There are also younger, fresh-faced women, "Girls in bloom of cheek and lips." Their behavior is very much out of control; they are described as "Wild-eyed" and "free-limbed." They are compared to the women who in ancient Greek times chased the God of Wine, Bacchus, "round some antique vase."

The last line of stanza is sung as “So watch my back and keep the blade i think it got you laid.” This means instead of their family hurting them they should watch their back and by doing so it will be good overall which means the laid part.

In “The Whipping,” the flashback gives the reader an inside look of the life of the speaker. Current happenings bring up dark memories of past atrocities. “Men” is told almost entirely through a flashback. The very first line of the poem gives the readers some insight of the age of the speaker now and when she made the memories she is flashing back to with “When I was young” (“Men” Line 1). The speaker in “The Whipping” also uses a metaphor as a Segway into his flashback: “His tears are rainy weather/ to wound like memories:” (“The Whipping Lines 11-12). The speaker of “Men” uses strategic similes throughout her story. She recalls her experience with a man as “One day they hold you in the/ Palms of their hands, gentle, as if you/ Were the last raw egg in the world.” (Men Lines 15-17). Everyone knows how delicate and fragile raw eggs are, so this metaphor really proves how the speaker perceives the gentle hands of the man. But, slowly and gradually, the she can fell grip tighten, like a boa constrictor squeezing out the breath of its prey until finally the “Air disappears,/ Your mind pops, exploding fiercely, briefly,/ Like the head of a kitchen match.” (“Men” Lines 23-25). Literary devices are useful tools the reader can use to build a full understanding of the meaning the author of the poem is trying to get

In Andrew Marvell’s love poem “To His Coy Mistress”, arguments for sexual freedom are evident as sexual conquest is illustrated by the clever use of thinly veiled sexual innuendo, a pinch of erotic metaphor, and mocking humor.

Children, mothers, husbands, and wives are all grouped into different stanzas to represent this separation. “Young girls were there, Defenseless in their wretchedness” (stanza 1) “And mothers stood with streaming eyes”

By the end of the poem the women narrating have been through various trials and tribulations stemming from growing up, falling in love, racial identity, and much more. Although the play is sad, but the women in this play display unsurpassable strength and fortitude as they work their way through their hardships. By overcoming their struggles they learn to appreciate their race, gender, and unique beauty, and turn to each other for solace and support. In the very last poem in the story, the women open themselves up to the power of female spirituality, allowing this god to fill them and provide them with a sense of empowerment and solidarity. The shared experiences allow the women to grow as human beings and finally embrace who they are together. “I found god in myself and I loved her; I loved her fiercely” (Shange

Irene’s queer personality lives repressed in her id and the attraction can be noticed through many too detailed descriptions of Clare body parts and personality. “Her lips, painted a brilliant geranium red, were sweet and sensitive and a little obstinate. A tempting mouth” (45). It is impressive to see how this supposedly straight woman describes Clare’s mouth as tempting, yet she does not stop there, because Irene also describes her voice, “What was it about Clare's voice that was so appealing, so very seductive?” (52). The utilization of these adjectives is questionable because even when Irene talks about her husband Brian, she never uses adjectives that could express desire or even love. Irene is aware that her marriage is an arrangement where according to Brian sex is a just grand joke (60).

The idea of two women touching and moving together creates a sensual experience that many males fantasize about in their mind. This travesty pas de deux allowed for this erotic figment to come to life in an appropriate atmosphere. As two sisters danced, the Elsslers, it was turned into the thought of incest behavior. Women were told to uphold an innocence or were innocently dancing, but the concept turned towards a sexual

In addition, the feminist view of sexuality is evident throughout Rossetti’s poem. Laura and Lizzie’s magical experience portrays the pursuit for sensual awareness while struggling between physical identity and spiritual salvation. Furthermore, “She clipped a precious golden lock, she dropped a tear more rare than pearl, then sucked their fruit globes fair or red, sweeter than honey from the rock” (ll. 126-29) and “sucked until her lips were sore” (l. 136). With blatant sexual undertones, this pivotal moment signifies the character’s transition from maiden to woman or innocence to experience. Additionally, this exchange could be a metaphor for Laura’s relinquishment of her sacred virginity. As Laura falls sicker and slowly begins to deteriorate, Rossetti illustrates the consequences of succumbing to the temptation of men’s deceit and the importance of remaining pure. With use of vivid imagery, Rossetti further emphasizes the animalistic and uncanny

John Donne, in this stanza I feel becomes more intimate and uses alliteration and much more poetic techniques. At the beginning of the second stanza, I would assume that the girl has got up and left him. "O stay,

The participants do not engage in amateurish relations, but instead engage in the activity of sex with expertise. The poem’s descriptions label them as being individuals worthy of admiration.