Preview

Ella

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
520 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ella
Rachel Boreo
Literary Analysis

In poetry, writers often feel or think with a purpose. In the poem, Ella in a Square Apron, Along Highway 80, written by Judy Grahn, there are significant words she uses in order to enhance the personification between women and animals. Along with the poem titled Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, by Adrienne Rich, imagery is taken into consideration when reading into her representations of the feministic personality. Equally, these two poems relate feministic characteristics to those of animals through use of imagery while both are portraying women to reflect the skin of their concealed feelings.
Throughout Grahn’s poem, feminine characterization is portrayed through her constant connection and linkage to those similar actions of a broken down mother, and a common rattlesnake. Grahn introduces such word play with an exclamation that “She’s a copperhead waitress, tired and sharp-worded”/ (line one) in order to give the reader the fairly elaborate picture of Ella. Grahn familiarizes the reader with the looks of Ella being a tough, proud, fierce, redheaded waitress, who would do anything to protect her young; much like a rattlesnake would, therefore, introducing the idea that the common woman is much like a rattlesnake. Grahn uses a great deal of imagery words to attempt to persuade the reader that everyday women are as tough and aggressive as a rattlesnake in such that “She keeps her mind the way men keep a knife” (line seven) implying that the common worn out woman is still as sharp as can be and demands the respect she may not continuously get. For the reason being that neither women have the satisfactory lives they wish for, they portray their wants and feelings onto the animal they feel fits them best.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers is written in iambic pentameter, therefore enhancing the effect and her feelings. In the poem, Rich makes Aunt Jennifer out as a meek, fearful, woman who is embroidering these beautiful tigers whom she

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The poet’s use of metaphor assists in conveying the idea of individual and social powerlessness within the poem. “Bruised-appled eyed”. This metaphor was used to describe the physical appearance of the giraffe’s eyes. It draws on a comparison between the giraffe’s eye and that of the result of domestic violence. This conjures the idea that she is unable to protect herself and vulnerable, ultimately emphasizing her individual powerlessness. The poet further illustrates the powerlessness of the giraffe describing it as a “wire-cripple”. When associating with the description ‘cripple’ we would usually refer to the physically disabled which would eventually link to social powerlessness. It is through the uses of metaphor that the ideas of social and individual powerlessness are portrayed.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem discusses the funeral of a woman and how she is presented in her funeral as someone people would be more likely to romanticize than what she actually was, perhaps out of a misguided sign of respect. The other more hidden meaning behind the poem is the author's reaction to the women herself and how she is portrayed in almost a spiteful, angry way because of his anger over her wasting her life in gray dullness.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We’d crawl in shame in the emptiness we’d made in our own father’s backyard,” pens Mary Oliver regarding the shame that she would feel for cutting the black walnut tree a symbol of her family. In a similar manner, Sarah Mary Taylor writes about a quilt that the speaker obtains in her youth and how she hopes that it will remain a symbol for her family and life. In order to effectively convey the symbolism of their families, both authors employ figurative language and imagery that supports their symbolic meaning.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of both the poem and story the authors give a very visual description of the women. They are both considered to appear on the outside as if they are "a faerys child" - beautiful. But when you look into their eyes a sense of being "wild" is within them. The wildness that the men see in their eyes foreshadows their merciless nature. The wildness alludes to and foreshadows the womens animalistic and heartless actions. In both storys the women seduce multiple men with their physical attractiveness in order to gain control of them and make the situation benefit them. The authors use imagery in their texts by explaining in detail the womens outstanding physical features in order to make the reader picture the women in the same way that the narrator does. Steinbeck and Keats effectivly project the images of the women into the minds of the reader.…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Amy Lowell’s “Patterns”, and Anita Endrezze-Danielson’s, “The Stripper”, are poems focused on the views and roles of women in society. Despite the drastic differences between the poems’ settings and the specific situations each woman is in. In “Patterns” a high class woman’s fiancé passed away. That marriage being her only way out of the life she is trapped in is deeply upset because she has no other way out, unless her family arranges for another marriage. In “The Stripper” the woman puts on repeated shows every night for men in the bar, and is unhappy with the life she is living as well. The two poems share many similarities. Both women find themselves being classified in stereotypical roles. They each want to break free of the lifestyle they are in and they want to be their own person, rather than the person that society expects them to be. These similarities help prove that society has set roles for women and they rarely steer away from these beliefs. This makes enjoying life hard on the women, leaving them caught between being who they want to be and being who they are expected to be.…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    By many, poetry is looked upon as being a language of its own. It’s a way of creatively expressing unique emotions, thoughts, and beliefs with the use of many literary devices. American poetry has been the most important form of writing throughout history. Many famous authors, such as Lucille Clifton, used poetry to document the most major times in history in which they lived, such as the Feminist Movement in the 1960s. During this time, women experienced a significant amount of gender discrimination and harassment, which inspired Lucille Clifton to incorporporate metaphors, similes, and symbolism in many of her poems to raise awareness about the power of women.…

    • 1819 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Often in poetry the technique of imagery is relied on heavily to present the reader with a visual stimulus that allows the poet to express a set of complex ideas. Poet Gwen Harwood utilises certain everyday images to illustrate the tendency of society to categorize the roles and expectations of females in the 1950’s. Some of her works such as ‘In the Park’, ‘Suburban Sonnet’ and ‘Dichterlibre’ draw on images of bickering children, household chores and tiresome motherly figures in order for the reader grasp some of the intangible concepts presented in the poems, such as the struggle for female independence in a patriarchal society and the social inequity experienced by the housewives and mothers of the 50’s. Harwood’s poetry gives voice to these drained women and entices the reader to take notice of the restrictions placed on a young mother by society’s expectations.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Emma

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The novel Emma by Jane Austen is a comedy of manners set in the early nineteenth century. The context of this time placed a particular emphasis on how, who one married. Subsequently the novel Emma which, deals with the everyday lives and concerns of people, reveals many insights into the idea of love and marriage. One particular idea presented is notion that marriage is very much determined by one’s social class and making a match below one’s social class is deemed very inappropriate. The transformation of Emma to the film Clueless, by Amy Heckerling, has meant the transformation of this idea about love marriage to suit the context, audience and purpose of the late 20th century in America.…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the central characters in the poem is that of Alison, a woman who is married to an older man called John the carpenter, "this carpenter hadde wedded newe a wyf". Alison's attractions are suggested primarily by animal similes and she is described as radiant "ful brighter was the shining of hir hewe". Alison's beauty cannot be separated from her animation and vitality. This, with a hint of naivety, is suggested by the comparisons to "kide or calf" and (twice) to a colt. Alison is soft as a "wether's wolle" and her voice is like the swallow's. A supple, sinuous quality of her figure is suggested in the simile of the weasel, which is clearly chosen to stress her sexual attractiveness. This is an interesting simile because a weasel has connotations with slyness and deception, both of which we later find out are qualities of Alison. We are also invited to think of Alison as a sexual being in the line "upon hir lendes (loins)" We can also infer that Alison is somewhat promiscuous (and therefore John has a right to "[hold] hire narwe in cage") because we are told that her shoes were laced on "hir legges hye" and we would only know that if…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aunt Jennifer Tigers

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages

    • The third stanza gives us a truthful look at the reality and end of Aunt Jennifer. It re-emphasizes the impact living in this patriarchal society had had on her. Despite the tragic end of Aunt Jennifer's life these tigers and the ideas of an oppressed free life for women carry on.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender Equality

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.” (Kofi Annan) In Paulette Jiles’s poem, “Paper Matches” and in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s poem, “The Changeling” the theme described is gender roles. In the two poems the women do not feel appreciated. These two poems are very similar in theme, content, and figurative language. However, the structures of the two poems are very different. Jiles and Cofer both use symbolism, dialogue, figurative language, and imagery as instruments to reflect the cruelty of the women during these times.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ella S Cv

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A proactive professional, with experience in Customer Service and Information Systems. Quick to find exact and innovative solutions to problems in support and management roles, based upon unique departmental requirements. I have excellent communication skills, enabling effective liaison with senior management, stakeholders and fellow employees. I have a wide range of skills to achieve excellent results in line with corporate wider goals and targets, as well as able to work as part of a team to help deliver target that yield business benefits…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The applicant

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Symbols in this poem include symbols of women and a symbol of identity for males. Women in this poem are not referred to as humans but rather as objects. For instance, in the 2nd stanza, the word 'thing' suggests objectification of women, also in the 2nd stanza, the word "hand" suggests labour in the form of housework, or even helping husbands. Thus, women are expected to server and look out for their husbands. Further down in the poem, the words "paper" Silver gold, and the phrase "a living doll" all suggest objectification of women. Women in this poem are objectified as they are not given a voice, and this can be paralleled to the roles of women in the 1960s, which is to be subservient to their husbands. Also, in stanza 3, the line "and do whatever you tell it" suggests robotism of women and total dominance of males over females. In addition, in stanza 6, the line naked as paper to stark suggests men should write on their wives and do whatever they wish with them. This is highly devocatry to females but it also suggests subservient. Lastly, in stanza 3, the line "bring teacups and roll away headaches" highlights that women are expected to server their husbands, and make things better for them.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poetry of Adrienne Rich is indeed communicating powerful feelings such as regret , sadness, fear, desire, desperation ,despair ,constriction , oppression, loneliness, hope and many others. She is challenging us ,the readers using thought provoking images and symbols all throughout her poems ,I will mainly focus on: ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’, ‘The Roofwalker’,’ Trying to talk with a man’ and lastly ‘From a survivor’.…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poems of Adrienne Rich spoke to me in a powerful way. She was definitely one of the most original and thought provoking poets on my course. The poems that I have studied represent many of the new ideas that emerged during her life. Not only do I find these ideas interesting, but I believe that I have benefited directly from them. Her feminist outlook on life is evident in every one of her poems. The poems i have studied include; Living in Sin, Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers, Power and The Roofwalker…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays