Woman work Flashcards
Explores…
the role of women in a male dominating society
Highlights the pressure…
women face in their daily routines and how the speaker desires to escape from her mundane life by finding solace in nature
Key terms
- Stereotypes
- Overwhelmes
- Black women´s labour
- Freedom
- Seeking solace in nature
- Powerlessness
- Culture
- Explores the subject of slavery
- Internal strength
1st stanza portrays…
The rough and chaotic routine the speaker has in her life
Rigid rhyme scheme adds a…
musical quality to the poem. This suggests that everyday is similar and how there is very little leeway in her strict routine
“mop”, “shop”, “dress”, “fry”
Imagery of domesticated routines
Daily activities are…
burdens
CONTEXT
1978 - male dominating society. Women are unable to have the same opportunities as men as they are marginalised.
The short sentences alongside the anaphora, “The”, encapsulates….
everything that is on the speaker´s plate and further reinforces all the tasks she must accomplish. This produces a tense atmosphere
Parallelism between lines
Suggests that the speaker is only reduced to these tasks. There is very little freedom in her routine and has no moment where she can invest a bit of time from her schedule for herself.
In the first stanza, Angelou draws focus upon the woman´s “purpose” rather than her…
feelings
Universal message (1st stanza)
A woman´s creativity and potential is destroyed the minute she becomes a mother or a housewife, as they are marginalised and restricted by societal conventions and norms
“The cane to be cut”
“And the cotton to pick”
Alludes to slavery. This may suggest that women are slaves to their chores.
OR
That perhaps the speaker is a maid to someone else, which is why she resorts to nature´s comfort; unlike the speaker, nature can´t be owned.
The strong sounding alliteration in “cane to”, “cut”, “cotton”, “pick”
(+ link to another poem)
Portrays the speaker´s frustration and further heightens the hard-work imposed upon the woman
“The Memory”
The woman wants to make sure that everything has been taken care of for…
the family´s happiness, regardless to her acknowledgment that her hard-work won´t be praised.
Angelou sheds light upon the uncomparable effort women do
Stanza 2
Embeds natural elements.
After accepting her lack of agency, the speaker seeks support and solace in nature as her suffering is beyond human intervention.
“Shine on me sunshine”
“Rain on me, rain”
The assonance in the form of diphthongs emphasises the speaker desire for a change in routine. She begs nature for rest.
“Rain on me, rain”
The personification of rain further symbolises the speaker´s relief in the hands of nature. “Rain” acts as the speaker´s coping mechanism as it spiritually cleanses the frustration and pain inflicted upon her from her routine.
“Let me float across the sky”
The pleading tone adopted in this line is a result of her oppressive lifestyle.
Alludes to heaven
“Let me”
Speaker conveys a sense of urgency as she asks for permission to rest
“Float”
Pace slows down. The speaker is savouring the moments in which she is immobile.
“´Til I can rest again.”
“And cool of my brow again”
Both lines are regular - Speaker is desperate
The lines also convey society´s claims over women´s bodies and energy
Repetition of “again”
Nostalgia. The speaker reminisces over her past and the liberty she had
The natural world is the only possession the speaker has and “…”
“Can call [her] own”
“Cold icy kisses and / Let me rest tonight”
The metaphor suggests that nature is a vessel / funnel (?) for her anger and rage
“Cold”
In isolation, the adjective holds negative, discomforting connotations. However,…
“Cold icy kisses”
The speaker finds relief and pleasure
Universal message
Society has high expectations of women
“Star shine, moon glow”
The imagery encapsulates the beauty and wonder of nature
Lexical field of brightness: “Shine”, “glow”.
As they are luminescent, the speaker may be suggesting that these natural qualities serve as torches for the speaker´s search for a better life
(REPHRASE)
1st stanza (STRUCTURALLY THE LONGEST)
Instantly creates an unsettling and overwhelming atmosphere. Establishes the unrealistic amount of chores the speaker has to do.
Final 4 stanzas (REGULAR IN LENGTH)
May represent the 4 seasons and how her work is constant and consists of the same chores through the year.
OR
How she finds brief moments of rest when thinking about nature
