What is motherhood you ask? Motherhood is many worthy and ruthless things combined into one. When becoming a mom, your child completely becomes your life. You always put them first, even before yourself, no questions asked. You provide for you children and love them unconditionally through the good and bad. Having children puts a lot of weight on your shoulders and you are expected to lift it all. Nobody ever said motherhood was easy, and it’s effortless to see why sometimes. In the poems “Daystar”, “In the Park”, and “Marks” we see many views of how motherhood has affected these women and how hard being a mother can be. In the poem “Daystar”, we see a very tired and drained mom who always finds herself in the backyard trying to find some peace and quiet to think. You can tell she does this a lot because the poem states, “She had an hour, at best, before Liza appeared pouting from the top of the stairs.” The mom knows her children will come looking for her soon so she is trying to get the most out of every minute she gets. She needs some time to herself where everything is about her and not about her unmindful children. The line, “she would open her eyes and think of the place that was hers for an hour-- where she was nothing, pure nothing, in the middle of the day.”, really adds to the longing she has to find herself again. …show more content…
He is living a much richer and fuller life than her because he does not have the children to weigh him down. At the beginning, the poem describes the woman’s clothes as “out of date” to show that she goes with less so her children can have more. The children are her number one priority while she is the last. As the poem comes to an end, the mom says, “They have eaten me alive.” because she has basically gave her life for the children to have
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)
“Daystar” comes from a book of poems written by Dove entitled Thomas and Beulah, which tells both the real and unreal stories of Dove’s maternal grandparents (Stein 64). Unlike Dove, who grew up during a time of women’s rights, her grandmother most likely did not have an admired career as a housewife. In discussing Thomas and Beulah, Stein explains, “It is almost painful to witness Thomas and Beulah, two people clearly devoted to each other, continually misinterpret each other's behavior” (70). Although “Daystar” is not necessarily written from an autobiographical perspective, Dove is using the research of her family and her own experiences to welcome us into the lives of the distressed Beulah.
The poem Daystar struck me from my first reading of it because I do the same thing this woman did sometimes. The apartment I share with my husband has a balcony where I have planted some flowers, and sometimes when the whether is nice I drag a rocking chair out there into the sun and just sit and let my thoughts wander. This poem reminds me of those moments.
“Daystar” by Rita Dove is an expressive poem, which centers on the main character, a young mother and wife, who internally struggles with her burdensome, daily duties, which creates a lack of freedom in her world. Dove’s choice of words lets the reader empathize with her confined life. In this poem, irony exists for the mere fact that from birth to adulthood the female population is brought up to feel fulfilled by simply becoming a wife and mother; however, this poem describes the monotonous duties and the joyless bond that can be between husband and wife.
Brooks creates a horrific imagery that abortions are terrible; and in the poem “The Mother “,she mirrors herself to reality to show the missed opportunities of a child, that women who have aborted their children, will miss. In the poem, it pinpoints a woman’s experience of aborting a child, and then feeling guilty about it, as a mother. In contrast to the author of the poem, Gwendolyn Brooks is a woman who has also aborted a child numerous of times, feels relentless. She communicates with her audience, women, through the poem to recap what the unborn children would become in the future such as singers and workers. “You were born, you had body, you died. It is you never giggled or planned or cried.” When Brooks talk about the missed opportunities that women will never see, she refers to a mother with treacherous experiences. Symbolically, she reflects as a role model for all women who have undergone the situation.
In lines 8, 9, and 15, the girl repeats the word die which symbolizes the girl’s anxiety and fears about life. However the poet’s word choice symbolizes the emotional aspects of the speaker. The final lines of each stanza “and momma’s in the bedroom/with the door closed” (line 10, 11and line 32, 33) is repetition and symbolism. These lines symbolize the teens’ feelings of neglect, abandonment, vulnerability. A bedroom is usually a place for resting, but the detail that the mom is always inside with the door closed could symbolize absence or death. These lines also symbolize the girls’ desire of guidance from her mother and hope that her mother will come to her rescue. The lack of her mothers’ guidance causes the girl to struggle in society. These lines also stress the importance of the role parents have in adolescents
The poem “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks is about the aftereffects and feelings that come from an abortion. The woman in the poem shows remorse over the children she aborted earlier in her life and regrets that she gave up the chance to be a mother to them. This poem, while about a woman who chose to have abortions, still carries with it a clear pro-life message.
“ Not having children makes less work--but it makes a quiet house,” and saying, “ if there’d been years and years of nothing, then a bird to sing to you, it would be awful--still, after the bird was still” saying how her house was so quiet, then you’d get a bird and have music. Then to have that ripped away from you would be
In the Park is an engaging and eye-opening poem published in early 1960’s. The author of the Poem, Gwen Harwood, is Australian born and is often regarded as one of Australia’s finest poets. Her work is primarily situated on the subject of motherhood. Through her poems, such as In the Park and Suburban Sonnet she shows the hardships and inner struggles that mothers encounter. The underlying message of the poem is showing how a young mother feels as though her children have deprived her of happiness and she regrets the life she has chosen. The theme of motherhood is prevalent in this poem however it shows the alternative side. The dominant view is usually one where the mother shows the purest, undeniable and strong love for her children. Harwood explains the side of motherhood which is not joyous but overwhelming and tiring. Throughout it is made clear that wants to expose the reader to the truth that is often concealed about motherhood.
Imagine enduring every day life being responsible for three kids without a companion to assist in support. The responsibility of raising three children alone is burdensome enough, but what if these children were the source of regret and pain each day as well? In the poem “In the Park,” Gwen Harwood portrays a woman who feigns satisfaction while talking to her “ex-lover,” but who is actually regretful that her life is devoted to her children, to emphasize the challenges involved in motherhood, especially raising children without a father.
"The Mother," by Gwendolyn Brooks, is a sorrowful, distressing poem about a mother who has experienced numerous abortions. While reading the poem, you can feel the pain, heartache, distress and grief she is feeling. She is both remorseful and regretful; nevertheless, she explains that she had no other alternative. It is a sentimental and heart wrenching poem where she talks about not being able to experience or do things with the children that she aborted -- things that people who have children often take for granted. Perhaps this poem is a reflection of what many women in society are feeling.
The road to motherhood is a personal journey with many hidden emotions and agendas. Some journeys are dark and dreary and unspoken. In the poems “Metaphor” by Sylvia Plath and “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks both have many similarities and a little differences. Both of the mothers in the poems feel the pain of being a mother. Although the mothers took different paths of motherhood they both have regrets and wish things would have been different.
The poem “The Mother” written by Gwendolyn Brooks in 1945, is a poem that focuses on the immeasurable losses a woman experiences after having an abortion. The poems free verse style has a mournful tone that captures the vast emotions a mother goes through trying to cope with the choices she has made. The author writes each stanza of the poem using a different style, and point of view, with subtle metaphors to express the speaker’s deep struggle as she copes with her abortions. The poem begins with, “Abortions will not let you forget” (Brooks 1), the first line of the poem uses personification to capture your attention. The title of the poem has the reader’s mindset centered around motherhood, but the author’s expertise with the opening line, immediately shifts your view to the actual theme of the poem. In this first line the speaker is telling you directly, you will never forget having an abortion. Brooks utilizes the speaker of the poem, to convey that this mother is pleading for forgiveness from the children she chose not to have.
The Mother is a poem about abortion by Gwendolyn Brooks. This poem is an emotional and personal topic about abortion. Abortion is a topic not many people feel comfortable discussing about, since it is a sensitive subject that people make it out to be. Gwendolyn Brooks allows you to understand the perspective of a mother who is choosing to abort one’s child and her feelings after doing so. Although many might consider abortion a cruel decision a mother can make, one never knows the circumstances a mother may be in, that she chose abortion as an option. Analyzing this poem can help women cope if they experienced an abortion, help with the options of many women experiencing a pregnancy, and encourage young girls to always protect themselves if they choose to be sexually active. Ultimately, this poem’s message can help reduce and impact current societal ills, such as, suicide rates, depression, high school dropouts, and teenage pregnancy.
Motherhood is a unique and universal gift bestowed upon woman by nature, conferring a great responsibility upon her. But is this ‘gift of motherhood,’ a boon or a bane, does motherhood elevate and empower or does it subjugate and enslave a mother? The answer isn’t simple because it is embedded in the intricacies that involve the various aspects and perspectives that influence motherhood. So complex is the issue that, even while defining motherhood one wonders where to begin? Should one begin to define it from pregnancy or does one begin to define it from the early childhood or adolescence – a stage which prepares the female body for motherhood? If one has to make a thorough study of the subject then perhaps it would be appropriate to define it from early childhood, adolescence, followed by late adolescence, conception and pregnancy, child- bearing and child-rearing. All the stages of motherhood have an impact on the life of a woman, but the last, which is child-rearing, saddles her with great responsibility. In order to, understand the impact of motherhood on a woman’s life let us first study, the causes that are generally believed to affect motherhood.