The woman in the ordinary March 17, 2009
Posted by djegr1 in : Uncategorized , trackbackThe woman in the ordinary pudgy downcast girl
is crouching with eyes and muscles clenched.
Round and pebble smooth she effaces herself
under ripples of conversation and debate. (um, I wish I could write things like that…)
The woman in the block of ivory soap
has massive thighs that neigh,
great breasts that blare and strong arms that trumpet. (really, who would’ve thought of that?)
The woman of the golden fleece
laughs uproariously from the belly (we need to laugh more like that)
inside the girl who imitates
a Christmas card virgin with glued hands,
who fishes for herself in other’s eyes,
who stoops and creeps to make herself smaller.
In her bottled up is a woman peppery as curry,
a yam of a woman of butter and brass,
compounded of acid and sweet like a pineapple, (seriously, this woman is good)
like a handgrenade set to explode,
like goldenrod ready to bloom.
*the comments in parentheses are just my own little thoughts on my favorite (bolded) parts of this poem*
Using the Vendler Format of analysis, I carefully studied, read and re-read Marge Piercy’s poem, “The woman in the ordinary”. In general, the poem is about women and how they’re stereotyped to be what society viewed/views women as, which is weak, submissive, and powerless. The backstory of the poem seems to be Piercy’s outrage with the way women are treated and expected to be.
R Baird Shuman says in the book, Great American Writers: Twentieth Century, that “Behind [the woman's] benign face is a power made stronger through compression into the tiny cardboard role that society has given her” (1206). This point is clearly expressed through Piercy’s to-the-point imagery and feeling of tension. Examples of this include the lines, “crouching with eyes and muscles clenched” and “strong arms that trumpet”. Shuman later says, “The power is both as dangerous as an explosive device and as beautiful as a budding flower” (1206). This statement is further illustrated with the contrasting lines, such as “massive thighs that neigh”, “woman of the golden fleece” and “woman of butter and brass”.
The poem itself, is a single stanza, with no division of parts. Piercy makes frequent use of enjambment, which helps the poem flow. Each “sentence” is it’s own scenario and depicts several different women, which adds a variety of characters within one subject. The tone of the poem is tense and blunt. It also has a tone of urgency. Piercy shows the differences in women, but unifies them with their self-empowerment and rising ideals of identity. The poem is clear and to-the-point, with poignant language. Piercy achieves this through her concise descriptions, never failing to say what she wants.
Shuman, R. Baird. Great American Writers: Twentieth Century. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2002.
Comments»
Oh! Your interspersed comments throughout the poem as well as your bolding is such a creative idea! That way, we read the poem the way you see it and it helps in your explication of the poem. By doing so, you also expand your own “voice.” We hear the you that is DJ in this approach! Good that with this poem you spend time talking about structure, figurative language, sound.
DJ, I took the time to read your poem, and it isn’t similar in style to Valentine. However, both have done feminist works obviously. Also Piercy is a lot more detailed about descriptions. I really enjoy reading your poet, and I agree that she writes gorgeous lines that I could not even come up with.