"Daystar" by Rita Dove
This poem really spoke to me because it reminded me of my own mom in a way. The passage that was the most strong to me was "And just what was mother doing, out back with the field mice? Why, building a palace." This passage reminded me of my mom because I can remember when I was younger, I could never understand why my mom would step outside for a moment alone or just take a drive to get away for a little bit. It wasn't until I got older that I realized that all women (including my mother) need those escapes and moments by ourselves, and when mothers do it it doesn't mean that they want to get away from their children but just that they need a few minutes to re-group. This passage describes that she is "building a palace" outside, meaning that she is making her personal escape or haven where she can relax.
"A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin
This passage is my favorite one of the three. It actually reminded me a lot of "Daystar" in the fact that she is taking time to relax and enjoy herself, momentarily forgetting her daily responsibilities as a wife and mother and instead simply being an individual person. The passage that stuck out to me was "she was not going through any acute mental process or reasoning with herself, nor was she striving to explain to her satisfaction the motive of her action." This explains how for once she is simply enjoying herself, without any reason for why she deserves it. The end of this story was also really interesting to me. She is noticed by a man because she is truly happy in that moment. It seems like her self-satisfaction, confidence and happiness show through, and that, in the end, is what made him notice her.
"Why I Want A Wife" by Judy Syfers
This passage was really frustrating to me. Hearing everything that is expected of a wife is absolutley ridiculous, and as the list went on I got more and more frustrated. It really proved a good point though, through the fact that a woman was writing it to show just how ridiculous the expectations for a wife can get. The full-circle moment in this passage was at the end when she said. "My God, who wouldn't want a wife?". It shows that women also want to have time for their own lives and educations, that if they could have someone wait on them hand and foot they would certainly appreciate it. It puts a woman in a man's place, and shows just how much is expected of wives. It made me wonder what men do to deserve this "servent" (the description sounded like the descriptioin of a servent).
4 comments:
I had the exact same reaction to "Why I Want A Wife." The more I kept reading, the more mad I would get that the expectations that she was explaining were to a extent true. Why do men "deserve" a servent and more importantly why should they be able to expect one? These were all strong feelings I felt after reading that.
Your description of your mom and how she relates to the character in "Daystar" reminded me of my own mom too. I'm sure every mom (or just every woman in general) has those moments where she just needs to get away. But from a child's perspective, I remember not being able to understand WHY my mom needed a break from us. Now that I'm older, I realize that it's not the child, or usually any one person inparticular that instigates this need for relief. It's the deeper emotions that spring from taking care of a family.
I agree that "why I want a wife" was an incredibly frustrating thing to read. However, I kind of feel like that was the point. I think it was meant to be so sarcastic that it was funny. However, when we think about how stupid all the demands placed on women are, its even more amazing that many women fulfill all these roles daily.
You brought up a really good point about "A Pair of Silk Stockings." It's so ironic that the main character got looked at because she was independent and just didn't care anymore. I think most people-at least in our generation-do have a lot of moments where they need to get away. Stepping away and doing your own thing is beautiful and that's where the adventures start happening. I like that the character created her own mini-adventure...even if it was just for a day.
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