the woman who speaks to the man who has employed her son...

‘The Woman Speaks to the Man Who has Employed her Son’ Lorna Goodison was born 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica. Her family was a large one comprising nine children. She attended St. Hughes High School and later, studied Art both in Jamaica and New York. Her first collection of poetry, ‘Tamarind Season’ was published in 1980. Several collection followed, as well as two prose fiction works. Her books have won many awards. Goodison’s themes include motherhood and the female in society. Currently she divided her time between her Jamaican home and the university of Michigan where she is an associate Professor in the Department of English and the Centre for African American Studies. Summary A single mother tries to raise her son well†¦show more content†¦The allusion implies both the death of a rebellious son and the lament fo the parent wailing in his name in grief. ANALYSIS FORM The poem is written in six stanzas of free verse. There is no set rhyming scheme and the free verse created a conversational style, appropriate in light of the poem’s title which suggests a conversation between two persons. MAJOR THEMES 1. PARENTING The poem points out the need for both parents to contribute to raising their child. Boys, especially, need their fathers as role models. Parenting is depicted as a difficult and often rewarding task, especially when the children become rebellious. (a) Motherhood Motherhood, especially for single mothers is challenging from the onset of pregnancy to the growing up stage of the child. This mother tries her best with her son and cannot be blamed for his delinquency. As a mother, she has high ambitions for her son and is grieved at how easily he is swayed by a negative influence. Her experience reflects the pain of all mothers through the ages. The fear of bad influences leading their children astray is one of the recurring anxieties of motherhood and the image of the heartbroken mother praying for her wayward child seems to have become a stereotype of mothers over the ages. (b) Absentee Fathers The poem comments on the trend of fathers abdicating their responsibilities to their children and leaving the burden of childcareShow MoreRelatedStones Throw vs Woman Speaks to Man Who Has Employed Her Son1751 Words   |  8 PagesPOETRY (1): The poems â€Å"A Stone’s Throw† and â€Å"The Woman Who Speaks To The Man Who Has Employed Her Son† are about how women are treated. For each poem (a) Briefly describe what is taking place (8mks) (b) Discuss the speaker’s attitude towards women. (8mks) (c) Discuss 1 device which is used effectively to convey the treatment of women. (9mks). The poems â€Å"A Stone’s Throw† and â€Å"The Woman Who Speaks To The Man Who Has Employed Her Son† both deal with different views of women and how theyRead MoreThe Biblical Aspecst in the Poems A Stones Throw and The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her Son881 Words   |  3 PagesThe Biblical Aspecst in the poems â€Å"A Stones Throw† and â€Å"The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her son† The poem â€Å"A Stones Throw† by Elma Mitchel and â€Å"The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her son† by Lorna Goodison both deal with the theme of religion. These poems differ in content; one deals with a woman being persecuted for her sins and the other has to do with a mother’s love for her child. This essay aims to outline the situation in each poem, discuss one aspect of religionRead MoreThe Woman Who Speaks to the Man Who Employrs Her Son1524 Words   |  7 PagesThe Woman Speaks to the Man Who Has Employed Her Son Summary: The persona in this poem is telling the story of a mother who loved her son. The mother became aware of the childs presence when she experienced morning sickness. She placed all her hopes in the child and raised him as a single parent because his father was indifferent to the childs existence. The mother had set no barriers on what the child could become, but he grows up to work for some criminal who drags him into a war and gives himRead MoreThe Similarities Of Foils In Homers Odyssey950 Words   |  4 Pagesadding in mischief her unholy drug,† (Homer 10.355-357). When discussing this scene, we see Circe completing this task after taking in Odysseus, and his company to use her powers to control the forms of pigs the company takes on. Continuing, Odysseus is then visited by Hermes, who tells him to give into Circes will and visits her room to ask for the removal of the spell. Conversely, visiting later chapters of the Odyssey reveals the forms of decisions Penelope u ndergoes on her quest of the contingencyRead MoreThe Elements Of Foils In Homers Odyssey942 Words   |  4 Pageshoneyed wine, adding in mischief her unholy drug,† (Homer 10.355-357). When discussing this scene, we see Circe completing this task after taking in Odysseus, and his company to use her powers to control the forms of pigs the company takes on. Odysseus is then visited by Hermes who tells him to give into Circes will and visits her room to ask for the removal of the spell. Visiting later chapters of the Odyssey reveals the forms of decisions Penelope undergoes on her quest of the contingency of mildRead More300 - a Gender Analysis Essay1323 Words   |  6 Pagesfilm industry has created the conventional gender roles of society into their movies; A majority of films have supported some of the male and female stereotypes. In the history of the film industry, the role of men is primarilythat of the stereotypical working class man or hero, while the roles of women are primarily portrayed as being somewhat inferior to men. In the 1930s through the 1970s, men held the leading roles in films while women played smaller roles. Men were typically employed, successfulRead MoreEssay about Leslie Marmon Silko, â€Å"Lullaby†621 Words   |  3 Pagespresent her message. The book is concerned, in general, with the tradition of story-telling as it pertains to the Native American culture. Lullaby seems to be a story of tradition, change, death, loss and the tensions fostered as a result of them between the old couple in the story and the Anglo-American authorities of the time. Throughout the story there are quite a few conflicts. Some are internal between Ayah and herself and others are external ones through Ayah, the white man, and ChatoRead MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird - Calpurnia Cares1058 Words   |  5 Pagesagain. She was all angles and bones; she was nearsighted; she squinted; her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.† (Pg 6) This is how Jean Louise â€Å"Scout† Finch describes Calpurnia, a black woman who serves as the Finch family cook and maid in Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird.† Although Calpurnia is employed by a high social class family she is still considered to be at the bottom of that social hierarchy because of her African-American descent. The Finches believe Calpurnia to be a valuableRead MoreDeath of a S alesman: An Ending More Familiar Than Strange Essays1643 Words   |  7 PagesArthur Miller (1915-2005) born in Manhattan, but lived in Brooklyn when he was a teenager. He lived with his father during, the depression. This play â€Å" Death of a salesman† makes me think that growing up in such an eventful time has a lot to do with how the elements of his drama revolves around life. His drama portrays the gloom and the sadness with some happy moments. Life brings out the elements, where the author stages the event and the characters play them out. The drama ofRead MoreBook Review of Kathryn Stocketts The Help1247 Words   |  5 Pagesyoung American woman, recent university graduate, who returns to her hometown in Jackson, Mississippi, after finishing college. Her dream is to become a writer, and she finds an intriguing subject to write about the condition of the African American servants in the house of white American families. Her mothers dream nevertheless does not include literary ambitions, since she dreams of having Eugenia married as soon as possible, to a young man of good social condition. Upon her arrival to Jackson