Feminism as a thematic concern will always be common in the literary works of women writers as is evident in the Norton Anthology for Literature by Women ( Gilbert & Gubar, 2007). The female authors, in their attempt to idealize a better world, can be seen to dwell on issues that affect their gender. They will also tend to point fingers at men and blame them for the unpleasant experiences they go through. A critical analysis of Anne Spencer’s “Lady, Lady,” Dorothy Parker’s “Song of One of the Girls,” and Ruth Pitter’s “The Irish Patriarch” confirm that indeed the women will usually dwell on matters that affect them.
In “Lady, Lady,” Spencer laments at the woes of women at the hands of chauvinistic men when the persona makes observation of the sorry state of the addressee. The poem opens with the persona highlighting that the addressee’s face is as ‘dark as night’ revealing that the poet is concerned with the dissatisfaction of the feminine gender (line 3). She further informs that the woman’s unpleasant life has been perpetuated by ‘the yoke of men that she has had to bear. It is, therefore, notable that the poet majorly wishes to represent her gender against the ill treatment by men which she compares to slavery. Parker seconds the feminist views in “Song of One of the Girls” by arguing that women are often taken for subordinate humans whose job is to ensure that men live comfortable. It is for that reason that he closes the poem by intimating that the men are against women who profess glamour in the belief that a woman’s place is in the kitchen (Line 11). The rebellious woman, however, has chosen to study at home in hope that it will exalt her to lobby for equality. Pitter, in “The Irish Patriarch,” also agrees that men are the source of women’s wrath revealing that the chaoses in gender relations are as a result of oppressive men (Line 1). Blaming the men for human rage, he informs that the women have taken a unanimous feminist approach to fight for better lives.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Whereas poems in the Norton Anthology of Literature by Women present the women in a bid to address the downside of being a woman, various poets have composed meaningful poems that are important as literary works in that they reflect the required societal adjustments ( Moores, 2014) . Ruth Peter’s “Old Nelly’s Birthday,” for example, presents the woman as ready to make the best out of everything such that she would not mind what is broken or rejected. It is for that reason that the persona informs that Nelly buys the cracked eggs which to make a sandwich for her birthday (Line1-5). The poem is, therefore, an importance piece of literature because it informs the critical reader that the woman is willing to turn what many see as less important into something good. More so, the woman has been presented as a good budgeter whose endeavors will always awe the society. Parker’s “From a Pig’s-Eye View of Literature,” is another important piece of literature especially because it sings praise for the celebrated poets such as John Keats, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. She views her male predecessors as the real geniuses of literature and metaphorically refers to herself as the pig that wallows in the mud of literature. She believes that her literature may not get any credit because the earlier poets have reached the greatest heights in literature. However, her praise for former poets makes her work a great peace of literature because it takes the critical reader into deeper poetry by alluding to other giants of literature. Spencer’s “Letter to My Sister” is also a literary masterpiece because it exalts the woman to a status where she is presented as crucial in ensuring that humans and deities live in harmony. The persona is insistent that women should carry themselves in such a way that their defiance does not evoke the wrath of the gods (Line 5). It is an important poem because it reminds the reader of the woman’s importance in the society and the need for her to ensure that the supernatural powers are not provoked.
References
Gilbert, S. M., & Gubar, S. (2007). The Norton anthology of literature by women: The traditions in English . New York: W.W. Norton.
Moores, D. J. (2014). The ecstatic poetic tradition: A critical study from the ancients through Rumi, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickinson and Tagore . Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
