Margaret Atwood Marriage Annotation Analysis

Imagery is a plays a major role in this poem. The images used appeal to almost all the reader’s senses with the exception of tastes. Beginning in the first stanza, the reader’s senses of touch and sight are appealed to. For instance, when the speaker described the cracked hands that ached,” the reader sees an older man with dry, cracked hands. This can lead the reader to a number of assumptions again of the man being worn out from his job, or possibly having arthritis which would lead to the dry and sore hands. It also appeals to the sense of touch and sight when it describes the father’s hands and also when he “puts his clothes on in the blueb...

Zimiles, H. (2004). Schismatic studies of divorce: Essay reviews of for better or for worse: Divorce reconsidered by e.m. hetherington and j. kelly and of the unexpected legacy of divorce by j.s. wallerstein, j.m. lewis and s. blakesfee. Human development, 47(4), 239-250.

“You change for two reasons: either you learn enough that you want to, or you’ve been hurt enough that you have to.” While maturing, young adults start searching for other peers to settle down with and marry. Although glamorous to picture, marriage is a commitment two partners make for life. To stick by one another “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health” (Sample Marriage Vows, 2004). Unfortunately, the promise to stay true to one another through everything diminishes. Resulting in what modern day society’s term as divorce. There are many paragons to justify on why individuals consider such deviances from their oaths. This does not mean, however, that every marriage will end in a catastrophe. Matrimony involves learning throughout life on how to work as one. Some couples play by the books and develop a system that agrees with both parties. Differing partners, on the other hand, fail at the teamwork category in their relationship. Therefore, the cause and effects of divorce in the United States of America illustrates different reasons on why and how the term comes about.

Imagery is a key part of any poem or literary piece and creates an illustration in the mind of the reader by using descriptive and vivid language. Olds creates a vibrant mental picture of the couple’s surroundings, “the red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood/ the

Statistics show that one hundred divorces occur every hour! (McKinley Irvin Family Law. “32 Shocking Divorce Statistics.”) However, in today’s society, many, if not most, people view divorce as typical, and even, in some cases, encourage others to get a divorce when their marriage is not fulfilling their dreams of what marriage should be. Instead of advising the person to work through the obstacles, friends and family keep quiet and compliantly stand by while the person turns his or her life upside-down. (668) The institution of marriage is based on life-long commitment, “For better or worse … until death do us part.” Vows, such as those pertaining to marriage, were once considered indissoluble. Recently, however, the public as a whole has become very receptive to the idea of divorce. These vows are no longer held in high respect like they once were, and we can see the unacceptable consequences of this abandonment of principle. (665) Diane Medved, in her essay “The Case Against Divorce”, provides her readers with several points against the case of divorce. She clearly makes her viewpoint

Marriage is a very joyful event in a person’s life. However, unless much can be done in order to redefine the status of what marriage is all about, divorce and other marital problems will continue to arise tremendously. Divorce is tumultuous event in a married couple’s life. It does not only affect the financial status of the household, but rather it also affects the people that comprises the family especially the children. Families are experiencing many problems today, but the role of divorce in this picture has been frequently overlooked because its destructive effects have been subtle, yet insidious. When the divorce rate increased in the 1960s, few would have predicted its dire consequences three decades later. Yet divorce has changed both the structure and the impact of the family. Intimacy, time, effort trust and love is the key to have a peaceful and healthy relationship. Marriage for life is God's ideal, but divorce is a reality in our society.

Henry David Thoreau famously said that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” When we compare and contrast these two stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby,” by Kate Chapin, we learn that this sentiment may be especially true for women. Kate Chapin uses “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby” to bravely explore the social inequalities of women in terms of marriage and divorce. The combination of these two stories point out that despite the presence of love, not all marriages are happy and not all divorces are sad. In “Desiree’s Baby,” Desiree has married for love and wishes to stay married and through no fault of her own, she is forced to divorce. In contrast “The Story of an Hour” is about Louise, who has married out of social obligation and wishes to divorce, but is forced to stay married. Both women are forced to follow paths not of their own choosing and submit to the rules set down by a male dominated society. In spite of society’s tendency to romanticize marriage, many women find marriage to be a limiting burden; for others, marriage may be the only chance at life.

A forty-year-old woman watches her husband slam the door behind him. She has no idea where he is going, or when he will be back. Meanwhile, a sixteen-year-old tries to drown out the sound of her parents screaming. Even as she covers her ears and sobs, nothing can mute her parents failing marriage. Diane Medved, a clinical psychologist, writes about the horrors of divorce in her article "The Case Against Divorce". In this article, Medved explains the reality of divorce and why it should not be taken lightly. She goes in depth about the consequences one faces due to the decision to divorce. Based on Medved's article, it can be decided that it is better for a person to try to save their marriage rather than getting a divorce

Divorce started to appear a mere 200-years ago, starting in the 1890’s. Ever since then, it started to slowly escalate. “Divorce, then, was the communities way of showing its disapproval when one spouse broke the marital contract” [4 pg 501]. This would show that one partner was no longer keeping up one end of the marital bargain, “not only with the other spouse, but also with the state in general” [4].

In a Christian home, usually divorce is not the first thing that comes to mind for most Christian marriages. Some of them may find a way to work things out, or they may even ask for a separation. Although, separation can lead t...

These three metaphors exemplify beauty, but also an end to nature and life. Death is slowly creeping up to him and taking over his life as realized in this comparison of him to nature. The poem shows the need to seize the moment in life before death. The last couplet talks about the topic of love and the power of it. Love lasts through the struggles in life, and the changes of seasons. Love of life keeps us from realizing that an end will eventually come. “This thou perciev’st, which makes thy love more strong.” Encompasses the idea that although everything comes to an end, love still fuels everything within a person. He realizes everything will come to an end and death is inevitable but the passion is still

However, despite both sonnets adhering to the traditional structure, the ideologies within the poems are divergent to the familiar themes explored within this medium. Sonnets traditionally have the implied meaning of beauty and love, yet both poems portray an anti-romantic stance and depicts love as lonesome. They instead focus on the mundane and insignificant aspects of domesticity that can restrict and challenge a mother’s personal identity. The consistent enjambment within the poem ‘In the Park’ further emphasises this idea, where the line ending with “too late” continues in the next stanza, reflecting upon the significant moment and a hurried relationship that has changed her life. The anti-romantic stance is also portrayed when “they stand a while in flickering light”, symbolising the waning of their romance and the shared matrimonial ties. The love between the former lovers has diminished and the women’s belief in love is no longer

In “Autumn Marriage,” the speaker evaluates the multifaceted relationship between husband and wife. Marriages like any union, go through times where times are hectic or difficult. Alvarez examines this relationship through a conversation between two lovers that expand into a therapy session or lack thereof. Furthermore, Alvarez touches on various subjects within a marriage such as, domestic quarrels, lack of love or passion and the idea of false reputations. The intensity with which this speaker explicates this troublesome union is through environmental-like imagery and allusion: to demonstrate that tumultuous times conveying the truth about ones relationship.

Hatred between two people who once thought they would spend their entire lives together, the separation of what once was thought of as the perfect family, a financial burden for a person who once considered themselves well off. Divorce is known for its’ power to rip apart even the most picture perfect family. The idea of living alone with no one to wake up to in the morning or no one to share your stories with after a hard days work. In short, divorce can seem like an eternal wreckage of everything a person ever worked for. Quite often, after signing the papers though it’s realized that the high expectations of hatred and loneliness have turned into a new outlook on life. This outlook puts hope and excitement back into a before, mundane life. Those endless nights of yelling and screaming have now been replaced with a peaceful nights sleep that leads to a new day that is even better than the one before. In short, a divorce can seem like a second chance at life. There are three main areas to illustrate the positive image of divorce: new found happiness, individual freedom, and second chance at love. The first area to illustrate the positive image of divorce, as a second chance at life is ones new found happiness. Now that the worst half has been eliminated, one begins to realize that they have the time to do the things they like to do. No more, “ Honey could you clean the kitchen for me.” or “Honey could you run to the grocery store for a few things.” Now ones new life consists of, “Can I get you another beer.” and all you can eat buffets. No longer does the new bachelor have to come home early so he can get a good nights rest to help provide for his beautiful bride. Nights now consist of hanging out with old friends and telling stories of when they were young and wild. That new car also helps to raise the spirits that the beautiful bride said was too expensive and not economical. In short, the now single guy is a tight- ropewalker without the net.