Spring Break Work: Poem Essay

THE POEM I CHOSE FROM THE LIST WAS "WOMAN WORK". THE PROMPT THAT I THOUGHT FITS THE POEM WAS "READ THE POEM CAREFULLY AND THEN WRITE AN ESSAY IN WHICH YOU ANALYZE HOW THE POEM REVEALS THE SPEAKER'S COMPLEX CONCEPTION OF A "WOMAN'S WORLD." I BELIEVED THAT THIS POEM AND PROMPT COALESCED WELL TOGETHER BECAUSE "WOMAN'S WORK" IS A POEM THAT COMPLEXLY, DISCRETELY PORTRAYS THE EVERYDAY LIFE AND TASKS OF THE COMMON WOMAN. THUS, THE PROMPT ASKING TO ANALYZE THE POEM THAT REVEALS THE SPEAKER'S COMPLEX CONCEPTION OF THE "WOMAN'S WORK" IS THE EPITOME OF A PERFECT PROMPT.

FOLLOWING THIS IS MY ESSAY TO THE PROMPT....

     "WOMAN'S WORK", A POEM BY MAYA ANGELOU, IS ONE IN WHICH THE AUTHOR'S COMPLEX, DRAINING TONE ASSISTS THE READER IN COMPREHENDING THE OVERALL MESSAGE OF THE STORY; THE COMPLICATED CONCEPTION OF A WOMAN'S WORLD. BY USING RHYME, IMAGERY, SENSORY DETAIL, PERSONIFICATION, AND A HANDFUL OF OTHER LITERARY TECHNIQUES, MAYA IS ABLE TO GET HER POINT ACROSS IN A FEW, SHORT STANZAS. EVEN THOUGH IT'S AS IF THE LIFE OF THE WOMAN SHE DEPICTS IN HER POEM IS WAY MORE COMPLICATED AND UNABLE TO BE FIT INTO A DESCRIPTION OF FIVE STANZAS, MAYA IS ABLE TO PRESENT THE COMPLEX CONCEPTION OF THE WOMAN'S WORLD BY EXPLORING A DIVERSE AMOUNT OF LITERARY DEVICES. FROM THE EXHAUSTING TONE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE POEM TO THE CALMING, HOPEFUL TONE TOWARDS THE END OF THE POEM, MAYA NEVER FAILS TO EXPLOIT HER PURPOSE AND LITERARY TECHNIQUES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE POEM.

     ALTHOUGH IT IS CLICHE TO SAY THAT RHYMING CONTRIBUTED TO THE AUTHOR'S MEANING AND PURPOSE OF THE STORY, MAYA ANGELOU'S USE OF RHYMING HONESTLY ASSISTED HER IN HER ATTEMPT TO REACH OUT TO HER AUDIENCE. THROUGH HER USE OF RHYMING, MAYA IS ABLE TO GET THE READER TO READ AND COMPREHEND THE POEM EASILY AND STEADILY. LIKE ANY DR. SUESS BOOK OR POEM, MAYA'S POEM WAS SO EASY TO READ, COMPREHEND, AND RELATE TO. "I'VE GOT THE CHILDREN TO TEND, T‬HE CLOTHES TO MEND ‬THE FLOOR TO MOP ‬THE FOOD TO SHOP ‬THEN THE CHICKEN TO FRY ‬THE BABY TO DRY ‬I GOT COMPANY TO FEED ‬THE GARDEN TO WEED ‬I'VE GOT SHIRTS TO PRESS ‬THE TOTS TO DRESS ‬THE CAN TO BE CUT ‬I GOTTA CLEAN UP THIS HUT ‬THEN SEE ABOUT THE SICK ‬AND THE COTTON TO PICK." THIS LINE FROM HER POEM GIVES THE READER DIRECT INSIGHT TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE WOMAN'S LIFE SHE IS ATTEMPTING TO PORTRAY. WHEN READING SUCH LINES FROM THE POEM, THE CONTINUITY OF RHYMING WORDS PROVIDES THE MEANS FOR THE READER TO CALMLY AND STEADILY READ THE POEM IN A TONE THAT ENABLES THEM TO ABSORB THE INFORMATION THAT THE AUTHOR IS GIVING THEM. FOR ME, I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT MAYA WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS JUST BY READING THE STANZA ONCE. ‬ THE RHYME SCHEME AND RHYTHM OF THE POEM MAKES IT SEEM ENDLESS AS THE READER GAINS A SENSE OF THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF WORK THE WOMAN IS SUBJECTED TO DO IN JUST ONE DAY. ‬ CONTRIBUTING TO HER USE OF RHYMING IS THE USE OF IMAGERY AND PERSONIFICATION. IN EVERY STANZA OF THE POEM, ANGELOU PROVIDES PRONOUNCED, OVERT REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SCENARIO SHE IS SPEAKING OF BY HINTING THE USE OF SENSORY DETAIL AND PERSONIFICATION. "FALL GENTLY, SNOWFLAKE COVER ME WITH WHITE ‬ C‬OLD ICY KISSES AND ‬LET ME REST TONIGHT." JUST LIKE THIS QUOTE ABOVE, ANGELOU DEPICTS A INHUMAN OBJECT SUCH AS A SNOWFLAKE AS A HUMAN WHILE AT THE SAME TIME USING PRECISE DICTION THAT ENABLES THE READER TO FEEL AS IF THEY FEEL WHAT IS GOING ON (SNOWFLAKES COVERING THEM WITH WHITE COLD ICY KISSES.) WHETHER CONCERNING THE FIERCE WIND OR THE ICY COLD SNOWFLAKES, ANGELOU UTILIZES PERSONIFICATION AND SENSORY DETAIL TO BETTER HELP HER ACHIEVE THE PURPOSE OF THE NOVEL. ‬

    ANOTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO MAYA'S DEPICTION OF A WOMAN'S COMPLEX WORK AND WORLD, IS THE SHIFT IN DICTION AND THEME. IM THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL, THE AUTHOR EXHIBITS A DESPERATE, OVERWHELMING THEME AND TONE. SHE INTRODUCES THIS TONE BY LISTING VARIOUS DUTIES THE WOMAN IS REQUIRED TO DO EACH AND EVERY DAY. "...‬THE GARDEN TO WEED ‬I'VE GOT SHIRTS TO PRESS ‬THE TOTS TO DRESS ‬THE CAN TO BE CUT ‬I GOTTA CLEAN UP THIS HUT ‬THEN SEE ABOUT THE SICK‬ AND THE COTTON TO PICK." AS IF IT CANNOT GET ANY WORSE FOR THE WOMAN, THE AUTHOR DOES A TOTAL 360 WITH THE TONE AND SWITCHES TO A CALM, HOPEFUL TONE IN WHICH THE WOMAN CALLS TO NATURE TO RELIEVE HER OF ALL THE PAIN AND STRESS. "COVER ME WITH WHITE ‬COLD ICY KISSES AND ‬LET ME REST TONIGHT. ‬SUN, RAIN, CURVING SKY MOUNTAIN, OCEANS, LEAF AND STONE STAR SHINE, MOON GLOW YOU'RE ALL THAT I CALL MY OWN." IN PHRASES LIKE THIS ONE, THE AUTHOR PRESENTS THE WOMAN REACHING OUT TO NATURE FOR RELIEVE AND SALVATION. THE WOMAN KNOWS AND REALIZES ALL THAT SHE DOES IS GREATLY UNDERAPPRECIATED BY HUMAN KIND AND SO SHE IS FORCED TO TURN TO MOTHER NATURE TO FEEL THE SATISFACTION, RELIEF, AND THANKS SHE DESERVES. ‬

    THE COMPLEX CONCEPTION OF THE WOMAN'S WORLD AND WORK PORTRAYED BY MAYA ANGELOU WAS ATTRIBUTED BY THE DIVERSE, ELABORATE LITERARY DEVICES THAT SHE UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE POEM. BECAUSE THE EVERYDAY TASKS AND WORK COMPLETED BY WOMEN IS NOT APPRECIATED BY THE HUMAN KIND, MAYA MAKES IT A POINT TO PROVE TO THE AUDIENCE THAT THE WORK WOMEN ARE SUBJECTED TO DO REALLY IS OVERWHELMING AND DIFFICULT TO COPE WITH. THERE IS NO SIMPLICITY IN THE LIFE OF A WOMAN AND ANGELOU URGES TO EXPLOIT THAT TO HER AUDIENCE.  NO MATTER WHICH WAY ONE ANALYZES THIS POEM, THERE'S NO POSSIBLE OR FEASIBLE WAY THEY COULD SAY THAT THE CONCEPTION OF THE WOMAN'S WORLD MAYA PORTRAYED WAS ORDINARY AND SIMPLE; IT'S COMPLEX AND OUTRAGEOUS‬.