Atwood's Tricks With Mirrors as a Declaration of Female Independence
Relationships are complex things, with ever-changing dynamics. Some traditional roles are always played in the constant search for balance between giving and taking in relationships. Women have historically and stereotypically played the role of "giver" in male-female romantic unions. In recent years the gender laws of relationships have been changing and evolving, but even as recently as the 1970s and 1980s women have been restricted to the role of complacent giver in their relationships. Their freedom of thought and even private speech have been impossible to repress, however, and through broadening that communication, things have been forced into change. A perfect example of this form of communication as an attempt to change the role-playing games of relationships is Margaret Atwood's 1974 poem, "Tricks With Mirrors." Through the use of poetic devices such as metaphor and tone in "Tricks with Mirrors," Atwood attempts to explain and break free from the restrictions of these traditional dynamics in relationships.
In Part I of the poem, Atwood uses a seemingly vague introduction to the subject matter, but gets straight to the point. Within five lines, she distinctly identifies her role as a mirror as she says, "I enter with you / and become a mirror," (lines 4-5). She gives the impression that she is merely an object in this relationship - she is a mirror through which her self-absorbed lover may view himself. "Mirrors / are the perfect lovers," she states (lines 6-7). They show a constant and loyal reflection to whoever may stand in front of them. She is objectifying herself as she tells her lover to carry her carefully up the stairs and to ...
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...She uses her tone of voice and the metaphors of mirrors and pools to make her case for freedom. Atwood's speaker is merely an object trapped in a relationship in which she serves only to reflect her lover to himself - and she no longer wishes to remain as such. She is seemingly ever patient in her endeavors, and continues to give throughout her quiet rebellion. All her lover ever does is take from her what he pleases - a faithful reflection of what he wishes to see in himself. Atwood defines these traditional roles in relationships while forming her opposition to the nature of these unfair dynamics. "Tricks with Mirrors" is almost an anthem for the oppressed woman - a statement that calmly explains a situation that needs to be changed. A deeper message may be found in the poem, however, as she conveys her detached unhappiness - do not become a mirror, she tells us.
The readers are apt to feel confused in the contrasting ways the woman in this poem has been depicted. The lady described in the poem leads to contrasting lives during the day and night. She is a normal girl in her Cadillac in the day while in her pink Mustang she is a prostitute driving on highways in the night. In the poem the imagery of body recurs frequently as “moving in the dust” and “every time she is touched”. The reference to woman’s body could possibly be the metaphor for the derogatory ways women’s labor, especially the physical labor is represented. The contrast between day and night possibly highlights the two contrasting ways the women are represented in society.
Throughout history women have learned to find a voice against men through writing. Writing has been a medium where women have learned to speak their minds and allow their ideas to be broadcasted to the world. Women have used writing to discuss issues, such as discrimination, inequality, sexual frustrations, and many more that they have dealt with. In the poem, “A Loyal Woman’s No”, written by Lucy Larcom. She gives power to women to say no to men. Her poem discusses the issues that many women face. They face issues of men taking advantage of them, men objectifying them and using them. However, Larcom’s poem shows a clear progress of women standing up against men, and being firm in saying no to them. Larcom has given women the ability to stand up to man and show the true power that women have over men. Many women fear standing up to men due to the repercussions of their actions, however, Lucy Larcom uses the symbolism of nature and her rhetoric to show a woman’s true power against men and say no and to free themselves of the rigid grasp that so many men have over women.
Through the use of symbolism, and characterization that involves an instance of imagery, the author advocates this notion through the newlywed’s decision of neglecting her personal feminine taste to make her husband’s preferences her own, and embracing her title of submissive partner by kissing the hand. Also, the choice of words to describe each partner differs tremendously, as the author seems to give more importance to the man by making him appear handsome, and particularly strong. On the contrary, the young woman appears to be weak and minor, which supports this idea of submissive women in a couple through the perception of the woman being way behind her husband. This story demonstrates a great symbolic significance when it comes to the hand, which can lead to other important ideas surrounding the message the author is trying to
This stanza begins the encounter. It sets the scene saying it is a lazy street. He begins to describe the woman's beauty, pointing out her hazel eyes and tiny feet.
In 1811, Elizabeth Poe passed away. Edgar Allan Poe was only 2 when this tragedy occurred. His father abandoned his siblings and him not too long after. After being abandoned by his father, he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Allan. His sister, was adopted by another family. Starting from a young age, Edgar Allan Poe was parentless and had no family connections. Growing up with Mr. and Mrs. John Allan, Poe lived a luxurious life. He went to nice private schools and lived in a nice home. However, when Poe attended college, he was not given enough enough money to survive. This angered him, and he began to drink, gamble, and fall in debt. Not too long after, Poe dropped out of school. It is known that Poe sent many letters to John asking for help but did not receive any. Poe was not mentioned in John’s will when he passed away in 1834. When his foster father died in 1834, the death had major negative effects on Poe’s
“There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles,” George Eliot. Beauty has caused men to move mountain, and jump through countless hoops. It is a quality that is subjective and affects the beholder differently. In Poe’s Ligea and Hawthorne’s The Birthmark, Ligea, Rowena, and Georgina all had different orders of beauty that similarly affects how their husbands saw them. In these two pieces of literature there was an exaltation of beauty as an abstraction that hid the depth of the women and led to deceit and the sense of superiority in their husbands.
In closing, it is ludicrous to romanticize that the tendency toward capitalism in man is as primal as eating or procreating. On the other hand, the same curiosity hard-wired into humans that compels us toward theism compels us toward advancement, gain and acquirement. Initially, conquering these curiosities, as history has shown us, is through a method of ‘by any means necessary’. Eventually, dare I say- inevitably, it becomes by the most efficient means available; consequently, an accurate description of capitalism. Therefore, it follows that although man faces struggle that require his ingenuity, this in no way undermines the occurrence of inevitable events; it merely reinforces the existence of them.
How would one feel if ones significant other was constantly disobeying the relationship? In Irwin Shaw’s “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses”, he shows how important having a trustworthy and honest relationship is. This short story highlights the flaws in romantic relationships by demonstrating how one needs some type of relationship in life, how fragile a relationship can be, and how many take loved ones for granted.
The author applies sight and personification to accentuate the mirror’s roles. The declaimer of the poem says “I am silver and exact [and] whatever I see I swallow” (1, 20). The purpose of these devices is to convey the position of the mirror in the poem. As an inanimate object, the mirror is incapable of consuming anything but the appearances of entities. Furthermore, the glass’ role accentuates an inner mirror, the human mirror which does not forget instances of misery and contentment. According to Freedman, the mimicking image emulated by the mirror elicits “… a look for oneself inside” as observed from the life of the elderly woman in the sonnet (153). Moreover, as the woman looks into the lake, she commemorates her appealing and attractive and pleasant figure as a young girl. As time passes, the inevitability of old age knocks on the door of the woman, readily waiting to change the sterling rapturous lady perceived by many. One’s appearance can change; it is up to an individual to embrace it or reject it.
Throughout his life... was a man self-haunted, unable to escape from his own drama, unable to find any window that would not give him back the image of himself. Even the mistress of his most passionate love-verses, who must (one supposes) have been a real person, remains for him a mere abstraction of sex: a thing given. He does not see her --does not apparently want to see her; for it is not of her that he writes, but of his relation to her; not of love, but of himself loving.
“She Walks in Beauty” is a poem that uses juxtaposition to help emphasize the object of magnificence. Daniel Moran, a secondary school teacher of English and American literature, states that the object is “made beautiful by a perfect combination of opposites” (Moran 276). Uma Kukathas, a freelance writer and editor, further explains that “Byron overturns the reader’s expectations by associating beauty with darkness rather than light and also by showing how light and darkness merge to create a perfect harmony” (Kukathas 279). However, it is the object of beauty Byron is describing, as well as why, that receives debate. In Lord Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty,” there is controversy around who or what the beauty is, and the depth in which Byron describes it.
Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Raven? is a dark reflection on lost love, death, and loss of hope. The poem examines the emotions of a young man who has lost his lover to death and who tries unsuccessfully to distract himself from his sadness through books. Books, however, prove to be of little help, as his night becomes a nightmare and his solitude is shattered by a single visitor, the raven. Through this poem, Poe uses symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of poetic elements to enforce his theme of sadness and death of the one he loves.
At the start, the first stanza of the poem is full of flattery. This is the appeal to pathos. The speaker is using the mistress's emotions and vanity to gain her attention. By complimenting her on her beauty and the kind of love she deserves, he's getting her attention. In this first stanza, the speaker claims to agree with the mistress - he says he knows waiting for love provides the best relationships. It feels quasi-Rogerian, as the man is giving credit to the woman's claim, he's trying to see her point of view, he's seemingly compliant. He appears to know what she wants and how she should be loved. This is the appeal to ethos. The speaker seems to understand how relationships work, how much time they can take, and the effort that should be put forth. The woman, if only reading stanza one, would think her and the speaker are in total agreement.
While it has traditionally been men who have attached the "ball and chain" philosophy to marriage, Kate Chopin gave readers a woman’s view of how repressive and confining marriage can be for a woman, both spiritually and sexually. While many of her works incorporated the notion of women as repressed beings ready to erupt into a sexual a hurricane, none were as tempestuous as The Storm.
...ee scope to his own natural and acquired powers” (414). Consequently, even though machines do dominate over the wage labour by allowing him to be exploited, they also lead to the development of social wealth. Additionally, modern industry revolutionizes the family and social structures. Machines allow for all members of the family and of all ages to participate in the workforce. This change leads to an equalization in the sexes and to and independence of the youth from their parents. Machines open up the work market for “individuals of both sexes and all ages” which “under suitable conditions become source of human development” (415). The process of capitalism, therefore, will produce individuals who are able to adapt to different situations, who have a wide range of skill, and who will add to the growth of human experience through the revolution of social wealth.