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Work Of Artifice

Decent Essays

Identity in "The Work of Artifice" In the poem "The Work of Artifice" written by Marge Piercy, the motif of identity is dominant. The author describes the making of a bonsai tree and explains the gardener's point of view on it as it is pruned and cared for by him. Bonsai trees are usually versions of a normal tree that are hindered in growth and kept miniature for the sole purpose of visual pleasure. They require regular pruning and an extensive amount of work by the gardener so they can grow properly. The Bonsai tree is tied into the poem extremely well by the author. She even produces a magnificent extended metaphor out of the bonsai tree. During the poem Piercy focuses on two main forms of identity: the bonsai tree's natural identity and the identity that is described …show more content…

This is stated by the author at the beginning of the poem when she says, "eighty feet tall on the side of a mountain” (lines 3-4). Piercy is describing what the tree could have been if it were not restricted by the gardener. If the tree would have been fortunate enough to grow up in the wild, it could have grown to the height of at least eighty feet tall and would have been on the side of a mountain where its roots could span the entire mountainside instead of only a few square inches inside of the bonsai pot. This description could easily be related back to a child being raised. A child could have easily had the potential to change the world; however, if they are not cared for in the right way and allowed to reach their own limits, they will be restricted and forced to be what their caretakers allow them to be. This could also be a metaphor for a marriage. The wife being the Bonsai tree and the husband being the gardener. In this context the natural identity would be that of the wife that has the potential to be extraordinary by herself; however, she is held down and restricted by her controlling

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