Woman Work- pg 271; #200
The poem itself tells of a female slave who only works for others with no time for herself. Through the first stanza there is a rhyme scheme, aa bb cc etc. This rhyming pattern makes the first stanza seem like a list; an example would be "The floor to mop/ The food to shop". It talks of everything a female slave must do. This gives the poem more meaning. There is a feeling of stress that eminates from reading this list, which ulimately connects to the fact that a woman has no time for herself.
The next four stanzas have a natural theme. There is a repetition of weather specifically. " Shine on me , sunshine/ Rain on me, rain.....Storm, blow me from here....Fall gently, snowflakes". This creates a feel of calm. Slaves did not have their own space or time, but here nature is what she relishes. Nature is what is hers , and no one can take it away from here. Another point that in the poem is the "Cold icy kisses and/ Let me rest tonght". This is part of the snow stanza. "Icy kisses" could be death, winter is a notorious killer. Resting could also ultimately mean death.
I believe the poem discusses the life of a slave woman, and the longing to be free . She sees the weather as an escape. Nature has different ways to ultimately help her in life. It is also a friend. She has nothing of her own but these natural occurances; nothing that belongs solely to her but this. It is the most important piece of her life.
A work of Artifice- pg 321; # 263
First the bonsai tree is part of a metaphor for a girl child. The tree is being "pruned", ridding the child of any bad habitats. The child becomes "domestic and weak". The author writes ," With living creatures/ one must begin very early / to dwarf their growth". The authos goes on to list things such as "bound feet". They are all ways the girls can be made beautiful but useless.
This leads to the fact that there is irony in the poem. This most obviously be seen in the list of what to use to " dwarf their growth". The line, " the crippled brains," is very ironic. It leads to the fac that the women are only allowed to think certain things or not allowed to thikg at all. The title is also ironic. An artifice is a work trickery. They make it seem like they are making the young girls beautiful, when truly they are keeping them from becoming anything great.
I believe the poem is a little bit of social commentary. The bonsai tree is a part of asian culture, as is foot binding. Women in asia are kept in the dark. They are only allowed to believe what men tell them to. They are made "beautiful" by actions that hinder their full potential. It is unlikely tht they will ever be that eighty foot tall tree, and Piercy is bringing it to light through irony.
