263. A Work of Artifice (page 321)

The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightening.
But a gardener
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons,
It is your nature
to be so small and cozy,
domestic and weak;
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in.
With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth:
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch.

Marge Piercy (b. 1934)

This poem, A Work of Artifice, is abstractly promoting feminism. The poem begins with a description of a domesticated bonsai tree, but then the focus shifts to human rituals. The poem describes how people can suffocate potential and growth of each other and creatures. The female is metaphorically compared to a bonsai tree. Their potential and growth are stifled by males (gardeners) who tell them that they should be happy with their domestication, weakness, and lovely things (like pots and coziness). Females are told that they are lucky, they are meant to be weak and small, and they are told this from the very beginning. The meanings and experience of this poem are shown and described through title, shift, irony, and diction.

First, the title is a key element. An artifice is a clever trick, an act of cunning, or ingenuity. The title is saying that a work of trickery is taking place, and this is true. The gardener is crooning to the tree that it is meant to be small and weak, and he ignores the fact that it could be huge and wild. The same is true for the male telling the female that she should be pleased with life the way it is; the way she is made to dress, the jobs she should do, how she is treated, is all how it is supposed to be and she should be happy with it . But the title says that these words are all trickery. Women and trees are not meant to be so restrained, and the caged lives they are forced into are through a state of mind and cunning that is inflicted and enforced by the gardener, the males. The title emphasizes the subject of the poem, though its words seem a little separate.

Next, the shift in the poem takes place in line 18. Before this line, there is a description of a bonsai tree, but line 18 starts off “with living creatures” and then goes on to describe human actions. This shift shows a change in idea and creates a metaphor between female humans and bonsai trees. The shift directs the reader’s attention to the meaning of the poem. With the switch from a tree to all creatures that are dwarfed from a young age, the reader connects the ideas given in both sections of the poem. Just as trees are pruned and restrained in a small pot, women are dressed up in clothes, told to wear their hair certain ways, and caged up in their houses and working spaces; told to be weak and inferior to what they could be. The shift allows the reader to realize the bigger picture that is being expressed.

After this, there is irony. The poem begins with the proposition that the bonsai tree could have grown to be eighty feet tall had it been allowed to live in its natural habitat. But instead it is “nine inches high” (line 9) and growing in a pot, tended by a gardener. As the gardener prunes this tree, he tells it that “it is your nature to be small and cozy, domestic and weak” (lines 13-15). What is true and what has been told to the tree is obviously contradicting. It is ironic that the tree, which could have been wild and nearly one hundred feet tall, is only inches and is tamed by a gardener who keeps it in a pot. The tree is meant to be big and wild, a giant in the outside world. Its nature is not to be tiny, flimsy, a decoration. This is true of women as well, for they are not to be cozy decorations of an attractive home, their nature is to love and be strong and follow their dreams, just as men do. The irony, the comparison of what the tree should be, and what it is and what the gardener tells it that it should be, attracts the reader’s attention and contributes to the subject of the poem along with the flow of ideas.

Last, there is the diction and word choice that was used throughout the poem. The “attractive pot” is a compromise for the world in which the little tree could live, and is, in a way, a rationalization. The tree is kept in a nice looking pot, and made to look nice as well; it is an object only. Also, the gardener “prunes” and “whittles” the branches. These words are a little harsher for they depict that the gardener is shaping the tree, forcing it to develop a certain way and not allowing it to grow. The gardener is an oppressive force. Furthermore, the last few lines of the poem are also significant. The author states “with living creatures one must begin very early to dwarf their growth” (lines 18-20). The ideas of the tree have broadened to all living creatures, and the meaning of the poem is stated. The author says that to “dwarf” the growth, or to stop a creature from reaching its full potential, the oppressor must begin their work immediately so that the creature will always be small and believe it should be so. The wording here is harsh and the tone is darker. Besides this, there are the last five lines of the poem, “the bound feet, the crippled brain, the hair in curlers, the hands you love to touch.” These lines relate to the human females of the world and how they are or were treated. Women in China bound their feet so that they would stay small. The feet were broken and disfigured, they were unable to walk. But they were told that small feet were a sign of beauty. The female brain is crippled; she was told that she is inferior to male counterparts and that her place was in the home, she was to take care of the children and the house. Also, it used to be that women were not allowed to have the same education that men could. Some could not go to school, while others were blocked from universities or further forms of education. Then, women often put their hair in curlers because of the society; many other women are doing it and the “true, virtuous woman” is often seen with curly, tamed hair. And then is the final line, the hands that you love to touch. Here the author speaks directly to the reader or another person, almost in accusation. The woman is seen only as her hands, an object to be touched. Her mind and personality was not mentioned. Also, this could be a form of babying, for with too much love and protection a human is suffocated and unable to be adventurous and branch out. There are indications and meanings, feelings, behind all of the words that the author uses.

The poem shows how creatures, like bonsai trees or females, are molded into shapes that aren’t natural to them. Bonsai trees are not meant to be small, weak, and domestic and women are not meant to have broken, restrained feet, sheltered educations, or one style of hair. The growth of women is dwarfed by society and men; her body, mind, and actions are forced into one state of being. The meaning and subject of this poem are created and emphasized by the title of the poem, the shift and the metaphor it creates, diction that was used, and the irony that is shown.

I really liked this poem for its creativity in promoting feminism and equality, and uncovering the lies and social expectancies in which women are force-fed. I think that this poem may have been written during, or about, the Women’s Rights Movement. The poem first describes a small tree, and though I think this poem could also be about the taming of nature and humans in general, I think that its main subject is how women are “whittled” into certain shapes and states of mind. The attractive pot is like the pretty house that she was meant to keep, and the gardener could represent the male force or society telling her what her roles are. Women were told to be small, domestic, weak, and create a cozy atmosphere for their husbands who would tell them how lucky they were to live such nice lives, while they, the husbands, had to work and provide. The potential and growth of women are chipped at from the time they are little. They are told how they have to be, made to dress a certain way, not allowed to pursue education, and are blocked from certain rights (this was so in the past and in other areas of the world). The wording and imagery of the poem creates a darker, more sarcastic tone. The true nature of women does not lie in an attractive pot.

259. Speaking (page 318)

I take him outside
under the tree,
have him stand on the ground.
We listen to the crickets,
cicadas, million years old sound.
Ants come by us.
I tell them,
“This is he, my son.
This boy is looking at you.
I am speaking for him.”

The crickets, cicadas,
the ants, the million of years
are watching us,
hearing us
My son murmurs infant words,
speaking, small laughter
bubbles from him.
Tree leaves tremble.
They listen to this boy
speaking for me.

Simon J. Ortiz (b. 1941)

The poem Speaking, by Simon J. Ortiz portrays a parent taking their baby boy outside and introducing him to the nature of the world. But the wildlife, plants, and time do not comprehend human wording, so they turn to observation. The baby also spoke, but with sounds and feelings instead of words, this way of speaking was understood. The use of personification, repetition, and title help to better expose the meaning of the poem, and these devices contribute to the overall experience of it.

First, personification is used with the flora, fauna, and time. In the poem the insects and millions of years are watching and hearing the two people. These human characteristics are given to time and insects (though insects do possess these two qualities). In the beginning of the second stanza, this personification is important because the adult is speaking for himself or herself, but also for the boy. Words are used, and the wildlife of the forest and the time all around them listen. But then the boy “murmurs infant words” (line 15) and he too speaks. In response the “leaves tremble. They listen to this boy” (lines 18 and 19). Leaves cannot hear or move voluntarily, but the poem shows them as creatures who can. This is important for it shows that the boy is communicating, speaking, and is more understood by the world around him then the parent who was merely watched. This also goes along with the diction utilized; for while the adult speaks, the world is watching and listening. But while the baby speaks, the world listens and trembles in response, a communication. The words speak, listen, and watch are all important to the poem. They link with ways in which beings communicate.

Next, the repetition in this piece is interesting because it changes the characters and actions around. Firstly, “we listen to the crickets, cicadas, million years old sound” (lines 4 and 5) and then “the crickets, cicadas, ants, the millions of years are watching us, hearing us” (lines 11-14). True, this is not exact repetition, but the wording is very similar. What makes these lines of near repetition interesting is that there is a switch from the parent and child listening to the sounds of nature, to nature listening and watching the two people speaking back to them. This puts an emphasis on the different speakers and receivers, thus further implying the meaning of the poem. Also, there are the last two lines of each stanza; “‘this boy is looking at you. I am speaking for him’” (lines 9 and 10) and “they listen to this boy speaking for me” (lines 19 and 20). Because of the similarity of the lines, especially the endings, the reader is drawn to the words. Again they contribute to the overall meaning of the poem. These lines also show a connection, like the circle of life. The wildlife speaks and the parent speaks for the child, and then the wildlife listens and the baby speaks for its guardian. The interchanging roles are interesting to follow.

Last, there is the title, which is simply the word “speaking.” This tells the reader that they are going to experience a piece that is describing speaking. This word is very general and never expresses which way that the people or nature is speaking. The title is the introduction to the meaning and also connects the words speak, listen, and watch together, which are each senses that people have. The title explains the meaning simply and is powerful in that it is the only word that the reader has to soak up in the beginning.

The poem is showing that though adults can speak, they are not as close to nature as a baby who speaks with sounds and feelings, and is driven by instinct. There are many ways of speaking; one can speak with their voice, body movements, facial expressions, and sounds. We do not all speak the same languages, but there are some ways of speaking that everyone and everything can understand. The devices used help to contribute to the meaning of the poem, and the experience. Personification shows how nature responded to the adult and baby when each of them spoke in their own ways. It also created imagery which made the poem more smooth and interesting. Repetition emphasizes who the two people are talking to, not another human, but a perceiving forest and wildlife. It is also important to note the last two lines of each stanza. These lines are not repetition, but are similar in wording and sound. This diction shows how differently people speak. The parent is speaking for the son who cannot say words, but the baby is speaking for the parent who cannot connect with nature as he can. And then the title also links to the poem’s meaning and experience. Its solitary word is the introduction to the piece, and the word that is kept in mind during the poem. It hints to the indication of the poem; there is more then one way to speak.

I liked this poem and how short and simple it was. Though it is not filled with imagery and drastic devices, it is quaint and enjoyable in its own way. One thing that I find interesting about this poem is that the meaning of it could be just as evident in various other scenes, but this one was chosen. The lines are short, but the flow of the poem is not choppy. Rather, there is more emphasis on the words of each line, and it allows the reader to dwell on the thoughts of each individual line. People often become so engrossed with words and languages that they forget to remember the other ways of communicating. Eyes, body gestures, facial expressions, and simple sounds are also ways in which people and animals speak. The author used trees and insects in the poem instead of people. They understood the baby’s way of talking and the feelings that he emitted, though words meant very little to them. This poem was also enjoyable because of the words that it used. They were soft, such as “murmur” “laughter bubbles from him” and “tremble.” There were no harsh words and the tone was not melancholy. Rather, words released a tone and feeling that was calm, light, expressive. Millions of years have caused the earth to evolve and its organism to change, but still we are all connected and able to listen and communicate with each other if we want to. The poem starts with the parent and child listening the insects and a million years old sounds, then the parent uses words to speak to the listening creatures, and last the baby murmurs sounds and laughs with his own way of speaking and the earth continues to listen. We all speak, no matter in what way, you just have to know which way to listen, with your ears or with your eyes.

The Handmaid's Tale

Dystopian novels are twisted versions of reality, a portal into the extreme, or a future that may take place. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is a dystopian novel that is in all manners creepy and disturbing. The novel follows a character that is called Offred in the Republic of Gilead. This Republic has been created in the United States and has become the way of life. The people in this republic take the Bible in it’s most literal sense and although are supposedly following God’s will, are entirely faithless. They no longer feel close to God and love does not exist in any real form. Everyone is miserable and lives in fear; humans to not exist, only tools. The men have secret agendas and the women are broken down into roles that they are required to follow. Everyone lives in fear for one false move and the Eyes take them away, they are killed, or they are sent to the Colonies; all of these a terrible fate. Offred describes her experience in this society, detailing her life in the home of her Commander, flashbacks of her times with the Aunts, and flashbacks of her life before she was a Handmaid.

Even though this book made the reader uncomfortable, I liked it and thought it was well written. There was a good amount of imagery and the characters were diverse and interesting; their personalities delicately playing off of each other. I thought it was interesting how Atwood commented on religion and feminism at the same time, and showed how people must learn to choose between taking everything literally and interpreting writings and ideas in a proper manner. The people lost sight of what religion truly is and this was part of their downfall. The book was also likeable because the reader was left to interpret the end. It wasn’t automatically a negative or a positive; Offred stepped up into the van of the Eyes, apparently rescued by Nick, and stepped into the light. This could be taken as she died, as her she started a new life, or something else entirely. I enjoyed the book and the numerous analogies, symbols, and references that it contained.

One big symbol that is present in the novel is that of the Faith pillow. The pillow is dingy and hard and the printed word, Faith, is the only letters that Offred is permitted to see. Also the words and flowers are faded and worn out. The pillow symbolizes that faith is always present, even if it had taken a beating. You should not give up on your faith, it is always there for you to grasp and have for hope. But the shape of the pillow also suggests that the beauty of faith has gone from this society. The irony in this pillow is that there is hardly any faith left in the people, but here it is sitting in Offred’s room, solid material for her to touch. The hard pillow is on a seat that is narrow with, showing that the faith that this society follows, the faith in the government leaders, is rigid and tough. No one is fully at ease. Another link with the pillow is that Offred wanted to throw it at the Commander. This suggests that the men in society and the Commanders need to be hit with faith and woken from this dreamy state of misery. Everyone needs a little more faith. The pillow is symbolic of the shaggy state of faith in this society, and how it’s no longer taken care of and cherished like it once was.

The novel was a chain of words that created imagery and an interesting plot. The quote that I found most intriguing in the novel was “the window of Soul Scrolls is shatterproof. Behind it are printout machines, row on row of them... what the machines print is prayers, roll upon roll, prayers going out endlessly…ordering prayers from Soul Scrolls is supposed to be a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime, so of course the Commanders’ Wives do it a lot. It helps their husbands’ careers” (p 167). This quote took place when Offred was running errands with Ofglen one morning. After they shop for the groceries that they are required to get, the two liked to visit the wall or other parts of the town. Offred had known this city before it had turned into Gilead, but this place no longer resembles the modern society it once did. Soul Scrolls is a franchise that prints out prayers that have been ordered by the Wives. There are five different types of prayers, and after the prayer is ordered it is printed out on the paper and the machine “says” the prayer.

This quote is interesting because it shows that the traditions of religion have lost their value. Praying is supposed to make one feel closer to God and is a personal act that one does. But Soul Scrolls has mutilated this practice and turned it into something to gain, either for money or status. The Wives order the prayers to help their husband’s careers and the store makes money off of the prayers. There is nothing personal and touching about a machine that says a prayer, especially ones that always have the same words. The act of praying has been turned into a business that is made to benefit the Commanders and the regime, there is no link to faith or God. This quote shows how disconnected this society truly is from the traditions, values, and meaning of religion. The people merely follow the literal words that have been printed on paper of the Bible; there is no feeling behind the acts they commit.

We

The novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, is a dystopian novel that, through the extreme, shows the disadvantages and wrongs of Communism. The novel is told in the manner of a diary by the character D-503. He is a mathematician and the constructor of the INTEGRAL, a type of space-ship. D-503 lives in a city called OneState which is led by a powerful, dangerous machine called the Benefactor. OneState is built of glass so that everyone’s business is out in the open, there is no such thing as secrets. Or at least that is part of what the Benefactor and this society is trying to weed out. The people in this world follow a Time Table, march in step, wear the same clothes, and imagination and creativity are not allowed to exist. The world is made of math, logic, and not standing out, people were meant to be one with people around them. Also in this society, they were not supposed to feel emotion, though they could have a sort of friendship with people. Love was irrelevant, but occasionally it slipped in, as it did with D-503. In the beginning he fit into the society and seemed to feel a connection and happiness with all of the logic and order about him. But as the novel progressed, he changed quite drastically. He fell in love with a woman named I-330, who used her sexuality to draw D-503 in; he was putty in her hands. D-503 seems to break away from OneState and its laws to a degree; his thoughts have changed, he focuses more on his emotions and love for I-330, and he risks going outside the wall. In the end D-503 has an operation and his imagination is taken from him, but the twists the book takes on the way is quite interesting.

Overall I thought the book was okay. It was interesting that the author was able to write in such a mathematic way, though I do not think I appreciate this skill as much as I should. The mathematical terms and references were sometimes hard to follow, but did add to the story as a whole. The ending was darker, with OneState once again taking over the mind of D-503. He had a soul and lost it, and he watched I-330 die and felt no emotion. The novel conveyed the message that equality and giving up abstract thought, creativity, and individuality leads to a controlled and twisted society that is most undesirable. The book was occasionally hard to follow, but interesting.

My favorite quote from the novel was in the very beginning when D-503 first meets I-330. She seemed to hear his thoughts as he tried to interpret her face. When he looked at her, he saw “something about her eyes or brows, some kind of odd irritating X that I couldn’t get at all, a thing I couldn’t express in numbers…what white teeth!...I saw the sharp angle her brows made when she lifted them toward her temples- like the sharp horns of an X, and for some reason I got confused again” (p 8). This was a description by D-503 when he was marching along with everyone else down the streets of OneState. He was having some rather interesting thoughts about God when I-330 interrupted him and seemed to know what he was thinking. This quote is interesting for several reasons. First, it emphasizes how large a role math and logic play in this society. D-503 describes I-330 using x’s and angles, it is the only way he knows to see and understand the world. But something about I-330 and the way she is confuses him and is outside of the realm of mathematics; he is unable to describe it and therefore understand it. He is confused and with normal logic and reasoning, confusion is not normal. This is also important because it seems to describe I-330 in a demon like manner, foreshadowing her mischief and toying with D-503. She is described as having sharp white teeth, and her eyebrows make “horns.” She knew how to use her charm to get what she wanted, and she seemed like a dangerous character. Her X did not fit in and her teeth stood out, sharp and gleaming. I-330 was a variable added to D-503’s life, but he was unsure how to solve for her, and she always kept him guessing.

One symbol that was brought up numerous times in this novel was D-503’s hands. He did not like them and “can’t stand people looking at my hands. They’re hairy, shaggy, some kind of throwback…’monkey hands’” (p 9). The hands were symbolic of two things. First, they showed that society was not the same. The people of OneState had shaved their heads, wore the same clothes, had restricted thoughts, and did almost everything at the same time. But one thing that the people could not have in common or be equal in was their looks. They were all quite different. O-90 was round and pink, a gentle lady, while I-330 was thin and cunning. The people were not the same and their looks would always differ and D-503’s hands emphasized this. More importantly, though, his hands connect him with a more primitive way of life. As he stated, his hairy hands are like monkey hands. The society of OneState is a very controlled place; it is clean and there are no animals or any real signs of nature. It is a city full of glass buildings, a clean machine. But D-503’s hands portray a wildness and lack of control. He does not like them because they are linked to the past. His hands are symbolic in that D-503 is still human and linked to the primitive past of people, and there is a wild side in him that is fighting to get out (his soul).

Anthem

What would it be like to live in a world where the individual did not exist and humanity survived as one, a mass of people serving each other? Ayn Rand illustrates this life style in her novel Anthem; that type of life would be utter hell. The story is told by a man originally named Equality 7-2521 who never fully fit in. He was taller, stronger, and brighter then many of the other men in the city he lived, and the people in power regarded him with frowns and dislike. His personality was also something to be fretted over. He was curious, he preferred some people over others, and he had dreams and wishes. The poor man thought that he was cursed for having natural feelings, but the world he lived in told him that everyone had to be equal and men lived only to serve other men. Life was a monotonous routine that had to be followed under the consequence of punishment; no one had a choice, they did as the government told them too. But Equality 7-2521 fell out of this pattern. He found a tunnel that had been leftover from the “unmentionable times” and continued to learn; he dissected animals, rediscovered electricity, mixed acids, and read manuscripts. He broke many laws and even fell in love. In the end he is forced to run away from his home with his love, Liberty 5-3000, in pursuit. Together, the two create a new life in the Uncharted Forest. They find an ancient house with mirrors, clothes, lights, and books. But most importantly they discover the word “I” and understand its meaning. No longer does “We” control them; for they are now separate beings who can follow their own emotions and thoughts.

The novel was set in the future, after civilization as we know it died out and was replaced once again by medieval technology, thoughts, practices, and medicine. But the twist of the novel was that Communism and Socialism had taken over like a plague and had a firm grasp on everyone. There was no such thing as “I” there was only “we” in the dark, controlled world. At first I was not a fan of the novel because of the strict control that the people lived in, but once Liberty 5-300 appeared my interest had been caught. Overall, I did enjoy the book. It brought up the topic of extreme ways of society, such as communism and socialism, and tried to prove a point in a creative way. I also liked that it ended with the main characters falling in love and finding a new place in the world. It was a happy ending; in dystopia novels very few, it seems, have lighter, happier endings.

My favorite quote in this novel is rather long, but I love it in its entirety.
“‘We have followed you,’ they said, ‘and we shall follow you wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned,and we wish to share your damnation…Your eyes are as a flame, but our brothers have neither hope nor fire. Your mouth is cut of granite, but our brothers are soft and humble. Your head is high, but our brothers cringe. You walk, but our brothers crawl. We wish to be damned with you,rather than blessed with all our brothers. Do as you please with us, but do not send us away from you’" (p 105). This was said by Liberty 5-300, now known as the Golden One. She said it to Equality 7-2521 after she had followed him in the forest. Previously, he had presented the light bulb and its gifts to the House of Scholars. But they became upset with him and said he had gone against their society. In anger and fear he ran to the Uncharted Forest, leaving behind the fate of death that would have befell him had he stayed. When the Golden One heard the news of him running away, she followed him into the forest. The two had not really been allowed to talk or be together, for it showed preference and in the city that they lived everyone must be entirely equal and one could not like another anymore then the next person. But the Golden One and Equality had feelings for each other. Out of this budding love she followed.

This quote has quite a bit of significance. First, it shows that the Golden One truly cares for and loves Equality. Though she may not be able to say it bluntly because the word “I” is not yet discovered, she described it to him the best she could. She wants to be with him. She has given up the meager society and comfort of what she already knows, and drifted into the unknown forest with him. Though these surroundings may be no more dangerous from whence she came and the threat of death just as present, she is willing to risk this new surrounding to be with Equality. Also, this quote shows that even thought this society tried to cover it up, people are different and human emotions can not be so easily suppressed. Equality contrasts very differently from his fellow brothers, especially in the eyes of the Golden One. He has a curiosity and hope, and also the strength to fight for what he believes in, as this quote suggests. He also has pride and the intelligence to hold his head high and walk when others fear to. Equal rights are important, but everyone cannot be forced to be equal in ways such as human strength and intelligence. Emotions had been suppressed in this society, but it was obviously still present. The Golden One admired Equality and loved him more then anyone else. Humans cannot be forced to have no emotion or be equal.

Though there were multiple symbols sprinkled throughout the book, one interesting one is the name that Equality took on after he and the Golden One started their new life in the Uncharted Forest. The choosing of new names shows that Equality and the golden one are no longer apart of the Communist Society; they recognize themselves as individuals. This in itself is symbolic. But even more so is the name that Equality picks, Prometheus. In the Greek legend, Prometheus was a man who stole fire from the gods on Olympus and gave the fire to the humans, giving them light. Equality chooses this name because he too gave light to the world. He had brought something to the world that would be helpful, but same as Prometheus, he was punished. Prometheus was tortured everyday and the gods were displeased with him. Equality was also expelled from society, but he felt relieved and free rather then unhappy. This name is symbolic of what Equality has done, he has brought something new and helpful to the world. This is the light and also this new way of being. He is an individual.