The Poem : An Analysis Of The Ruined Maid

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker states that women “milestone / [their] lives with oversights -- / living by the lights / of the loaf left / by the cash register…” The alliteration of the letter ‘l’ is used to emphasize the meaning of the statement. The statement insinuates that women are the ones who take care of food and cook, as shown by the word “loaf.” The speaker then informs of “the washing powder / paid for and wrapped, / the wash left wet.” The letter ‘w’ is used to emphasize

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama's second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled "One Today" that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who's daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is.

Despite the achievements of women in many different fields, society still attempts to limit women to certain roles. Furthermore, in the poem, women “… are defined […] by what [they] never will be,” (lines 19 - 21); once again, the author claims that women are defined by what they are unable to do because of gender bias. Instead of being given the chance to be influential, they are continually limited to staying at home or doing jobs “meant for women.” Finally, Boland tells the tutor that women “…were never on the scene of crime,” (lines 27 - 28). This serves as a metaphor for how women are never allowed to do important jobs; instead, they are left at the sidelines due to the repeatedly ignored restrictions placed on women by our gender-biased society.

“Once upon a time there was a wife and mother one too many times” (Godwin 39). This short story begins with the famous opening, once upon a time, which foreshadows that the story line will be similar to a fairy tale. It raises expectations for the story that all will be magical and end happily. A typical modern-day fairy tale is that of a distressed character who overcomes an obstacle, falls in love with prince charming, and they ride off into the sunset; living happily ever after never to be heard from again. Godwin however, puts an unexpected twist on “A Sorrowful Woman”. This short story is a tale about what can happen when everyday roles take over our identity. Ultimately, this short story challenges societal expectations of marriage

Stanza three opens with relating “menthol” and “eggshell” (9). Other than what “menthol” actually is, the reader is obligated to figure out its characteristics (9). I would say its traits are minty and fresh. And how would one define “eggshell” (9)? What’s leftover? This could easily be an argument stating that he is original and new, while she is always a little more bland and derivative. The next sentence states that while the bride is “atrocious”, he is equivalent to “spellcheck” (10). This is a statement that means that whenever

But, we cannot forget about the tone that Marisa was getting out. She understands as a woman what it is like to be young and feel like nothing is pretty enough for the world we live in. So the tone set in this poem demonstrates understanding of the difficulties of being a girl in today’s society. She turned a not so perfect dress into one she was proud to wear, which shows courage to change the way we feel about things. Marisa describes that in the future she will meet someone who will see past all the vein things and say, “She is sublime, will be precisely right, and I will step / With incandescent shoulders, into my perfect evening.”

The speaker seen the cleaning lady in a different light, she was accepting of her and the beautiful person that she is, her job no longer defined her. In the last stanza the speaker says, “Neither do I mean anything miraculous, but only the light that can shine out of life” (lines 34- 35). She is reminding her readers to keep an open mind. It is a lesson to learn to put aside social standards, and see the real beauty within each person, before casting judgment upon them.

The poem “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is a lengthy poem describing society and the social structure in the early 50’s from what it sounds. The short story “Girl,” deals with the experience of being young and female in a poor country. This poem describes a time when stereotypical gender roles where a huge part of society women had duties that only women could do such as clean, cook, wash clothing, watch the children and ect. And the men were head of the house hold and preserved as high and mighty, the untouchables by women and children. “This is how you iron your father 's khaki shirt so that it doesn 't have a crease; this is how you iron your father 's khaki pants so that they don 't have a crease;”(Kincaid) is an example of how the poem spells out how the women are supposed to cater to men, how to act in public settings and a variety of other things women were “meant to do” or as ordered by men.

She has yet to have the sparkle put back in, which is a very painful procedure" (Jenner 31). The quotation above, explains how critical beauty enhancements are in the society of Indra. It proves that as the technology in the industry of plastic surgery develops, it becomes more demanding within the city of Indra. Livia is talking about her godmother, Governess. Livia's godmother is consumed with beauty and the way she looks. She constantly revisits rejuvenation island, no one can truly tell who she really is due to all the alterations she has undergone. The passage provided is significant to the novel because it shows that the society is obsessed with all forms of technology that become available in Indra. Societal beauty standards are something that is prominent within the current generation of youth. All around the world people try to change themselves and conceal who they are, to gain a feeling of superiority. Like in our society , in Indra, Plastic surgery is constantly being raved about because it is a type of technology to enhance citizens life style. However, It just takes away all women of Indra's right to be themselves. Beauty enhancements truly aren't enhancing women's lifestyles, rather they are masking individuality and human

Maggie, who is self-conscious of her appearance, and will “stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of

Amelia swears, promises, pleads that there are demons in her home, she’s sure; doesn’t know how the scars materialised onto the cracks of the whore’s face.

Guy uses diction when he says, “Natural delicacy, distinctive elegance and a quick wit determine their place in society, and make the daughters of commoners the equals of the very finest ladies.” At the beginning of the sentence he uses such words as “delicacy” and “elegance” to describe the kind of woman they shall be. These words also give the reader an idea that women should be looked at as delicate and elegant. He makes a point that she is miserable and not happy with her surroundings by saying, “All these things that other women of her class would not even have noticed, tormented her and made her resentful.” Not just in that quote; but throughout the story, she wishes she was of a higher state and had the luxuries that wealthy people had. The author shows that the rest of the husband’s life would be full of work and depression when he states, “by the black misory that was about to fall upon him.” This all is because of the necklace being lossed, which lead to them having to sacrifice many things and made them work longer and harder.

“Ballad of the Landlord” is a poem by Langston Hughes that shows the struggles of a black man in a white society. There are opposing forces that make this black man suffer and he gets no retribution or any justice for the things that the people accuse him of. Through each of these voices the poem is thoroughly explained and can be analysed in such a way. The forces in this poem is the tenant, landlord, police, and the press. Each one of these forces shows the racial struggles of an innocent black man.

Fairy tales are full of tropes and stereotypes that exist from story to story, one of the main ones being the “happily ever after” ending. Most fairy tales, especially the traditional Perrault or Grimm versions, fall prey to this trope where the main goal is for the princess to find her prince, get married, and live happily ever after. Many critics, particularly feminist critics, find this trope to be problematic because of the extreme emphasis placed on marriage as women’s main, if not only, objective in life. Karen Rowe, for example, states in her essay “Feminism and Fairy Tales”, that “fairy tales perpetuate the patriarchal status quo by making female subordination seem a romantically desirable, indeed an inescapable fate” (342). In other words, Rowe relates the “romanticizations of marriage” portrayed in fairy tales with promotions of “passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice” expected of women in their everyday lives (342). However, it can be dangerous to assume that every fairy tale conforms to the singular promotion of marriage as women’s only option. While early fairy tales such as “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty” tend to glorify the romantic ideal of marriage, and in turn female subordination, contemporary tales and adaptations such as Brave and Frozen, are working to give women a more powerful position.

In lines 1-6, she explains that she is aware of those who contributed to society, because they have accomplished great things, things that she cannot take away from them. She states she will not discuss them because her “mean pen are too superior things” (Bradstreet 3). Bradstreet uses “too” to reference her work as being also superior. She wishes to leave it to them to talk about history without criticizing their worth and the same should be done for her. She adds the word “obscure” (Bradstreet 6), to acknowledge her lines are hidden using a form of symbolism. Symbolizing that most women are hiding their truths. Her point goes into further detail in stanza 2.