Daystar by Rita Dove

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Rita Dove's poem "Daystar" talks about a woman who is both a wife and a mother and who is exhausted by her daily tasks. This poem takes place at a time of rest for the mother while the children take a nap. Dove's use of meter and tone concentrates on illuminating the beauty and the importance of everyday events in normal lives. Rita Dove's use of tone in this poem as well as the diction of words creates a unique feeling of sympathy for her poem's character. When you think of the title `Daystar' you consider a performer, such as an actress. This definition of star would surely bind in well with the idea of her double roles in which she must perform daily roles, as a mother and a wife.

Every poem has its own tone for the readers to grasp. In this particular poem Dove uses words to present sorrow along with the sympathetic feelings towards its character. Dove uses her words and the feelings you get from her words to perfect her strategy. For example: `so she lugged a chair behind the garage' (line 4). Here she uses the word `lugged', which, if you are reading this poem can sense the feeling of exhaustion and possibly depression being given off by the mother. The mother has had a long hard day filled with daily chores, taking care of children and cleaning as well. Another example of word usage in this poem is when she describes the mother's dream. `She had an hour, at best, before Liza appeared pouting from the top of the stairs' (line 12-13). The way the author used her words gives the reader a sense of excitement and anticipation of the hour of relaxation ahead. But at the same time Dove takes this away almost immediately giving the audience a sense of reality. As readers we all know that this mother cannot enjoy the hour of ...

... middle of paper ...

...star in the sky.

Rita Dove takes her thought and uses everyday realism and expands deeply. By using her choice of words she alone creates a tone and establishes diction to support her idea. Dove's poem catches the reader's eye by relating to the character emotion in the poem. In this poem, Dove gave a sensation of damaged stamina a mother and wife has while tending to day by day activities.

On the basis of this analysis it is clear to me that Rita Dove is trying to say that mothers are unappreciated and overworked. In this characters own way she is a star. The character in this poem constantly gives to everyone around her, taking little time for herself. Much like all mothers around the world are.

Works Cited

"Rita Dove: The Poetry Foundation." Rita Dove. Poetry Foundation, 2011. Web. 27 Jan. 2015. .

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