The Struggle of Women in Lowell’s Patterns and Sorrell’s From a Correct Address
"Woman is not born," feminist Andrea Dworkin wrote. "She is made. In the making, her humanity is destroyed. She becomes symbol of this, symbol of that: mother of the earth, slut of the universe; but she never becomes herself because it is forbidden for her to do so." Dworkin’s quote relates to women throughout history who have been forced to conform. Although women can be regarded highly in society, representing images of fertility, security, and beauty, many people still view them in stereotypical ways; some people believe that all women should act a certain way, never letting their true selves shine through. Amy Lowell’s "Patterns" and Helen
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On the other hand, the author also gives details to show the woman’s unhappiness with her life. For example, she writes, "The daffodils and squills / Flutter in the breeze / As they please. / And I weep" (22-25); these lines imply that, although she can wander in her magnificent garden, objects inside of it cause her to feel grief because she realizes she can never be as free as the flowers.
"From a Correct Address in a Suburb of a Major City" parallels "Patterns" in the fact that it also gives contrasting details of the woman’s life. The first clue that the woman in the poem is wealthy is the title. Since she lives not only in the suburbs, but also at a "correct address," the title signifies that the woman’s household seems to be proper and wealthy. Another mention of her wealth appears in line four when the author writes, "charming, proper at cocktails" (4). Attending cocktail parties is not something a low or middle class woman normally does, so the reader infers that the woman lives an upper class life. In contrast to these details, the author gives descriptive details of the woman’s unhappiness. For instance, immediately after the line mentioning cocktails, Sorrells describes the woman in the poem as having her "inner one raging" and wondering "how to hide her [inner self]" (5-6). These phrases illustrate that, although she lives a financially comfortable life, her inner
This shows how Lizabeth’s past was during a depressing time, and she never realized that anything could provide happiness during that time. In addition, the theme of “Marigolds” shows how a little girl transitions from childhood into womanhood after a major event in her
As Wendy Martin says “the poem leaves the reader with painful impression of a woman in her mid-fifties, who having lost her domestic comforts is left to struggle with despair. Although her loss is mitigated by the promise of the greater rewards of heaven, the experience is deeply tragic.” (75)
Explain (tell me what image the poem brings to mind)She begins by describing the "death of winter's leaves".
In life, it is important to always have a positive outlook when it comes to negative situations. ----In the short story, “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, the main character, Lizabeth, changes from a childish girl to a mature young adult when she realizes the pain she brought to Mrs. Lottie when her marigolds were destroyed. Her repressed feelings from her father’s breakdown, the hopeless of her financial standing, and her mind’s confliction between immaturity and maturity causes her to commit her last act of childhood, which was ruining Miss Lottie's marigolds. After seeing the pain in Miss Lottie's eyes, Lizabeth finally understood the true meaning behind the marigolds and its importance to Miss Lottie. In the
In ‘I kneel to pick frail melancholy flowers among ashes and loam’ a tone of loneliness and sadness is established as the persona enters. Harwood describes the violets as ‘frail’ and ‘melancholy’, terms that arn’t usually associated with flowers. This is also explored in the juxtaposition of ‘ashes’ and ‘loam’. Ash is symbolic of death and decay which contradicts the ‘loam’, symbolic of life and birth. The persona’s dark and unpleasant perceptions reveal their uncertainty and state of mind. The present tense indicates the persona’s adulthood and their sense of longing and unsatisfaction conveyed through the nostalgic delivery of
7. The setting is used as a reflection of the woman's inner emotions. The sun shines and birds sing with no sign of gloom because she is not actually mourning as she thinks to herself. The lack of sorrow from the woman cause the setting to seem even more lovely to her as she realizes she is feeling joy. The details used by the writer portray a sense of well being and positivity. The woman reaches out towards the window as if her joy is tangible, this is a vey important
Elisa begins the story in a boring and depressing marriage, which has lead her mind to wander about the world outside of her property. When her husband confronts her and suggests that she concentrate on the apple orchards for profit rather than her beloved Chrysanthemums, which are simply for show, she breaks down and realizes how deeply depressed she has become. The flowers have become a symbol of her feelings, as the beautiful but neglected girl who resents not being appreciated by her own husband. Another symbol in the story is her garden itself, as Elisa's cage. John Steinbeck was writing during the Great Depression, and the number of unemployed around the country meant that crime had risen dramatically, limiting the movement of housewives like Elisa.
John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner.
“A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.” (Draft for A Doll's House Vol. XII, p. 91)
The use of symbolism and imagery is beautifully orchestrated in a magnificent dance of emotion that is resonated throughout the poem. The two main ideas that are keen to resurface are that of personal growth and freedom. Furthermore, at first glimpse this can be seen as a simple poem about a women’s struggle with her counterpart. However, this meaning can be interpreted more profoundly than just the causality of a bad relationship.
The setting of Alice Walkers short story” The Flowers” is important for us, the readers to obtain a perspective of how life was like growing up for a 10 year old African American girl by the name of Myop. The title of the story is “The Flowers.” When you think about flowers, you instantly compare them to being beautiful, pure, and innocent. The title of the “The Flowers” is a symbolism that correlates to Myop who is the protagonist of the story. Myop is just like a flower in the beginning of the story. She’s a pure and innocent child but that pure innocence changes when she discovers something that’ll change her life forever.
Life can feel like lounging on the sand, staring into the cities of roses, however, with such happiness comes a deep, cruel truth called death. In this passage, Oliver’s style conveys the complexity of her response to nature by the double-meaning between the owl, the lie behind the “immobilizing happiness”, and the cold truth of these roses. Oliver’s style strives to show how nature is all but an illusion of life and death.
The poem describes the weather and its effect on cotton flower by pointing out the dying branches and vanishing cotton. The image of insufficiency, struggle and death parallel the oppression of African American race. The beginning of the poem illustrates the struggle and suffering of the cotton flower; which represent the misery of African Americans and also gives an idea that there is no hope for them. But at the end the speaker says “brown eyes that loves without a trace of fear/ Beauty so sudden for that time of year” (lines 13-14). This shows the rise of the African American race, and their fight against racism. The author used mood, tone and
In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, he uses the chrysanthemums, fence, and garden to symbolize Elisa’s thoughts and feelings throughout his story. He uses these symbols to show love, neglect, loneliness, protection, and passion for his characters.
She compares the new grass that is sprouting to flames of fire and there is a visual of the grass flickering just as flames do. There is almost an ominous feel as if the grass is under attack, just as her heart is from grief. The imagery of the flames also relate to symbols of romantic desire that she feels for her dead husband. The imagery describes in line 2-3 are very vivid and lively in comparison to lines 13-14, where the imagery is generalized and flat. She describes the flowers by just naming the colours like yellow and red and lacks specificity when she says “some bushes” (13). After such beautiful imagery there is little image-making vividness, it is easy to tell that the widow lacks interest in what formally gave her joy and excitement because of her grief. I believe that the masses the widow is referring to is not quantity but instead size as in heaviness, massive etc. and this relates to her grief- as I stated before, the heaviness of her grief. From this we can conclude that the speaker’s emotional condition is dazed and dull. It is as if she cannot appreciate the beauty surrounding springtime anymore because she is so focused on her grief regarding the death of her