Poem 200-"Woman Work"

In the poem, Woman Work, the speaker is the author of the poem. The author, Maya Angelou, is writing about her situation in life. Angelou is a very famous writer who was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Knowing this, the poem she writes takes on a much greater meaning than when read as if it was just about a housewife (not that a housewife doesn't have difficulties too). The speaker in the poem has all this responsibility to care for the children, the house, and the garden. Knowing the speaker is the author, the reader realizes that she is doing all of this in the face of extreme diversity. When I first read the poem I thought it may have been about a slave (yes, I know you are shocked Mr. Klimas). Upon doing research about the author it gave me a clearer picture that she was not a slave of early America, but still a captive of conservative times. The rhyme scheme and meter also add value to the poem. The poem utilizes an AABB rhyming pattern in the first stanza (tend-mend, mop-shop). The pattern of the pairs of lines and the flow that is created as a result give the poem a very measured effect. This represents the daily pattern of the speaker's life. Each day, they go from one task to the next without a rest. When the patterned, rhyming part of the poem changes after the first stanza so does the attitude of the speaker. Instead of discussing the work she must do, she is able to take a moment for herself and wish for help; just a small break in the routine to give her strength to continue on.

One literary device that adds a great deal to the poem is the use of interruption between the first stanza and the rest of the poem. There is an extremely apparent shift between the tone and message the author is sending. As discussed earlier, the first stanza is measured and patterned. Stanzas 2-5 are quite different. They are all four lines long and lack an obvious rhyme scheme. Though these four stanzas are similar with each other, they differ from the first stanza. The first stanza is all about what has to be done and what the speaker does regularly. When the interruption occurs, the speaker's thoughts shift to selfish ones. This sounds bad because being selfish is stereotyped as being bad. However, everyone needs sometime to themselves where they can just wish for the best. There is no crime in that. The four stanzas contain the thoughts about what the speaker yearns for. She wants to feel relief from her work and responsibility, she wants to be calm and relaxed, and most of all she wants all of her work to result in something. The last stanza of the poem is the most important part. It says, "Sun, rain, curving sky/Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone/Star shine, moon glow/You're all that I can call my own." (26-30). This line portrays another literary device in the poem-irony. How can things such as the sun, rain, and moon belong to one person? I thought they were there for everyone? The irony of the speaker believing these vast objects are the only thing she owns reveals the hardship of the situation she is in. She does all the work mentioned in the first stanza, but it does not appear to reap any benefit or reward that she can wrap her arms around. Even though, the sun, moon, and stars are not her personal possessions, she can call them her own because they represent her freedom and hope. She may work long hours, doing laborous work, but she can always recede to the comfort of the vast sky and its possessions and know that at least she is able to work for a better living.

I really enjoyed reading this poem. It sounded so personal and heartfelt that it was like Angelou was telling me her story in person. In the second stanza it says, "Shine on me, sunshine/Rain on me, rain" (15-16). By saying me, Angelou personalizes the story and the actions she asks for. Telling the sun to shine on and the rain to rain on a specific individual is a high demand. It appears that the speaker is asking for alot, but the speaker just wants to have some of the simple joys of life. I sensed that it was such a heartfelt request from a working mother that it was touching. I liked the structure of the first stanza with the short phrases that gave me a sense the speaker was frustrated from working so hard with little reward. I thought Angelou did a fantastic job at putting me in her shoes. I could feel her tiredness and sense her wishes. Angelou is obvious a very gifted writer because of these abilities to make her audience feel what she is saying.