Poetry Analysis: "Conjoined" vs "Most Like an Arch This Marriage"

It presents the couple, husband and wife. It is a story of ongoing toxic relationship that the wife has possess over her husband’s mind. The tone of the story is shifting as the narrator describers different scenarios. After reading the first part of the poem, the reader would think that she is the “head of the household”, and he depends on her. He is presented as “…thin, dry, insecure one, the most wind, warped, you could see.

Marriage unites two people for better or worse, in sickness and health, until death they do part. In earlier times, some people might say wedding vows were taken more seriously; other say divorce was different back in the day. Looking at Katie Chopin and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who both exemplify martial vows in their short stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “The Birthmark.” It is clear in one instance, it was because divorce was different but then on the other hand the stories demonstrate the seriousness of the wedding vows. However, these stories express a husband-dominated relationship, in which the men possess ideals such as possession, perfection, and being all knowing.

Greenberg is so clever with the use of verbal irony throughout the poem. The wife is really being sarcastic to her husband, in an attempt to reveal her desires that are evidently ignored. The main line that triggered my understanding was, "Not strong, not proud, not just, not provident, my lover would blame me for his heart's distress, which you would never think to do" (630). Once again, I initially thought she was complimenting her husband and showing him great respect. This strong, proud, just and provident man seemed perfect. However, the choice of words "...my lover would blame me for his heart's distress..." is what enlightened my thinking (630). The wife wanted to be so important to her husband that she would be the only thing that causes him distress. She actually resents this prideful man who seems to make everything else more important that her.

Alain De Botton is a British Author who writes about variety of subjects that focus on everyday life. He has written many books including one that went on to sell two million copies. The article that he wrote was published in “The New York Times” Sunday Review section, along with this he has given a TED talk and is very popular on twitter. He has 873K followers in which will read a tweet from Botton almost every day. The article that I read is called “Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person” which talks about reasons why we will end up marrying the wrong person but comes to the conclusion that even if we do we must stay loyal and find the person that we can “negotiate differences in taste intelligently”(Botton, 2016).

Gallant’s use of sarcasm establishes narrative voice, and it turn provides social commentary on the shallowness of modern marriages. Gallant states that “From a series of helpful college lectures, she [Carol] learned that a common interest, such as a liking for Irish Setters, was the true basis for happiness,... Similar economic backgrounds, financial security, belonging to the same church - these were the pillars of the married union.” Gallant uses sarcasm to convey that these college lectures were not helpful at all. In fact, the college lectures - a symbol for society - spouts absurd facts about happiness in a marriage.

Marriage is a signification that one’s commitment to another will last a life time, it is in that life time that the consideration of creating a legacy begins. Laura Lagrange, the protagonist in Francis Harper’s short story “The Two Offers”, has to make a decision between two men who have asked for her hand in marriage. “But to tell you the truth, I do not think that I regard either as a woman should the man she chooses for her husband. But then is I refuse, there is the risk of being an old maid, and that is not to be thought of” (462). Like any other marriage Laura wanted a family, family is the construction of any home, family is a product of unconditional love. Her cousin Janette Alston ends up being labeled as an old maid because she never marries. In my opinion Laura settles for a man to marry because she refuses to be like Janette. In my opinion I think that Janette desired to fulfill her interpretation of family, she desired to create a home for her family. She lost her child but desired to press on and try again but it is hard to accomplish something you so desperately want, when the person that you need to help you achieve that goal has absolutely no regard for you wellbeing.

Marriage is a union that has changed value over the years. Typically, it is a commitment to stay faithful to a partner for life. Some authors write stories differently now than back in the 1900’s, when cheating was overlooked in some cases. Authors, like Kate Chopin write displaying the values of love and the values of marriage; such as they are in the movie The Notebook. Love and marriage can be one in the same or they can be in their own category, leaving it up the person to decide which is most important. Both stories have their own interpretation of the two.

The poem ‘a marriage’ by Michael Blumenthal presents feelings about marriage in many different ways, there is a strong feeling that the poet believes marriage is a positive thing as it helps provide support and help, this is shown when he uses ‘the ceiling’ as a metaphor for a persons problems and says “you are holding up a ceiling”. He then goes onto say “a man or a woman walks into the room and holds up their arms to the ceiling beside you” this metaphor shows marriage as a support system and that by a couple being together its easier for them to deal with their issues as they have someone to share them with. Blumenthal presents his strong positive feelings about marriage through his use of metaphors and using ‘blood’ as energy as when you

Married and widowed five times, the Wife claims authority in the realm of marriage. She defends her numerous marriages holding religious figures as models (lines 35-59). Defending herself at length, she argues her marriages perform a needed service to the virtuous of the world. Claiming that there could be no virginity without seeds sown to grow new virgins (lines 71-72). At first defensive in tone, the Wife soon speaks arrogantly boasting about her number of husbands and the manipulation of them. She accused her husbands of seeking lovers away for home, despite her own guilty. Mockingly she reveals her husband’s foolishness, believing her jealously an expression of her love (lines 379-396). The Wife

Modern literature is known for questioning society and its various conventions. One question that these works often ask is, “What is real?” Some modern authors explore this question by placing their characters within self-constructed illusions that are later shattered by the introduction of reality. Marriages are frequently at the center of this theme, with one spouse crafting an illusory impression of the other. Modern literature demonstrates that a marriage built upon illusion will falter when exposed to reality.

“Most Like an Arch This Marriage” is about a marriage of two people who have the willing to be like two sides of and arch. For a marriage to work it needs the strength of two people who are there for one another. In this poem, the connotation is referring to the two people in the marriage needing to be both strong and firm, but they also must be willing to lean on one another when there are times in the marriage that are also tough just like an arch. The denotation in this poem makes the reader think of an actual arch and compares it to the couple. Together the connotation and denotation tell how the marriage comes to be stronger when the couple work together.

Relationships have flaws; however, Michael and Frances’ holds more flaws than most. Nothing about their relationship should be envied. “Are you really happily married?” (Shaw, 1034). should be a question that never needs to be asked in a

“I am no more than upright and unset. It is by falling in and in we make the all-bearing point, for one another’s sake, in faultless failing, raised by our own weight.” As the couple the love for each other grows deeper and develops into something much more . The arch is completed when all the love the couple and the time the spent together join each of them together to create the arch this marriage.

The theme of the two stories revolves around the feminist issue of marriage. A common notion between the two short stories is that love is a failure and a mere comic when there is the failure to recognize the beloved as a person and not a mere convenience. The stories also deal with the 18th and the 19th century American life?declining in their spiritual and emotional lives.

Thanks to the characters described by Adichie, there are important questions to be raised concerning love and marriage: If today’s man or woman wants to get married, for what reason will he or she walk down that aisle? Is it just a means to an end? Is it the mere fulfilment of societal demands?