Introducing the text -ANY WOMAN- Suggestions / alternatives ( From the handbook )
The learner
• listens to songs on motherhood and poems on women (“Spelling” by
Margaret Atwood, “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou) Resultant feedback on the short film and consolidation by the teacher will lead to the reading of the poem.
“Spelling” by Margaret Atwood.(ANALYSYS GIVEN BELOW )
My daughter plays on the floor
with plastic letters,
red, blue & hard yellow,
learning how to spell,
spelling,
how to make spells.
I wonder how many women
denied themselves daughters,
closed themselves in rooms,
drew the curtains
so they could mainline words.
A child is not a poem,
a poem is not a child.
there is no either/or.
However.
I return to the story
of the woman caught in the war
& in labour, her thighs tied
together by the enemy
so she could not give birth.
Ancestress: the burning witch,
her mouth covered by leather
to strangle words.
A word after a word
after a word is power.
At the point where language falls away
from the hot bones, at the point
where the rock breaks open and darkness
flows out of it like blood, at
the melting point of granite
when the bones know
they are hollow & the word
splits & doubles & speaks
the truth & the body
itself becomes a mouth.
This is a metaphor.
How do you learn to spell?
Blood, sky & the sun,
your own name first,
your first naming, your first name,
your first word.
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Caged Bird
BY MAYA ANGELOU
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
ANALYSIS-SPELLING
CREDITS TO http://olatodera.blogspot.in/p/poem-analysis-spelling.html
The Conflict between Writing and Motherhood.
Spelling by Margaret Atwood is a poem about the travail of a woman in relation to her sex and profession, which in this case is writing.
Margaret Atwood makes use of metaphorical context to elucidate her conviction about the struggles of a female writer. She agrees with Virginia Woolf, that a woman needs a room of her own in order to be able to write, but illuminates the conflict of motherhood that a woman goes through as a barrier to being a focused and successful writer.
The poem begins with the words “my daughter plays on the floor”, the reader immediately gets a picture of a woman typing or penning her thoughts down while watching her daughter play (line 1). Why Atwood would employ such an opening line is fascinating because one would expect a female writer to embrace and manifest the androgyny of a writer, which Woolf talks about in her book “A Room of One’s Own”. Woolf postulates that in one’s mind, there are two powers: one male, one female, and depending on the sexes, one is prominent than the other. However in order to be a genius writer, one needs to interact with the opposite sex in one’s mind, and bring such fusion to birth in one’s literary work. Perhaps, in line with the androgynous thoughts, the poem could have started with watching my child play on the floor which would have been a neutral statement and the sex of the narrator could be debated. However Atwood does the opposite of that, from the very first word, it is obvious that the poem is about motherhood and the narrator, feminine.
The notion of motherhood is emphasized in the opening stanza of the poem since it is taken for granted that it is the mother who is particularly focused on the educational development of a child.
“My daughter plays on the floor,
with plastic letters,
red, blue and hard yellow,
learning how to spell,
spelling,
how to make spells” (1-6).
It is the mother who is amazed and focuses much attention on the learning development of her child. She is mostly the one who sits with her child, plays Lego and other developmental games with her daughter. She is the one who teaches her child the first few letters, words, shapes and object before handing him or her over to the educational system. With this opening stanza, the picture of a female narrator is solidified in the reader's mind.
As the picture of a mother looking at her daughter play with plastic letters stands out, one is fascinated with the colors chosen as the hue of the plastic letters, because they are basic primary colors and the building block of all others colors. This is a metaphorical way of showcasing the fundamental of learning and transitions effectively into
“learning how to spell,
spelling,
how to make spells (4-6).
Through this, the provision of the basic amenity of literacy is dealt with: the fact that words are fundamental to writing, reading and speaking. All through the first five lines, the innocence of childhood is expressed and one feels comfortable; however, the fifth line disorients the reader and indicates that all is not right in paradise. It is stated that the daughter is learning how to make spells. The infinitive before “spells” pronounces the word spell as a noun and not a verb (6). With this, the words take up a darker side and relates with witchcraft: a deeper side of construction and compellation with use of words.
This sense of disorientation is conveyed throughout the next stanzas. The second and third stanzas reveal a case of substituting motherhood with writing: locking of oneself in a room so that words can be formed and poems written; and denying one's daughters, believed to take after their mothers, thanks to time spent together. There is a struggle between the professional desire and the maternal instinct: a feeling of suppression. The struggle is enforced in the next stanza with use of an allegorical scene of a woman prevented from giving birth.
This illustration not only shows the travesty a woman goes through, but shows a similarity between a woman torn in war, and a woman torn between motherhood and professional success. Although on the surface level, it might seem that Atwood is exposing on the travesty that women went through during World War II--when soldiers tied the legs of women they had earlier raped thereby preventing them from giving birth, it is a little deeper. Atwood is focusing on the hindering of a female writer from being entirely fulfilled. The fruit of her womb can either be interpreted as either the natural birth of a child, or the birth of her mind’s idea. The woman is either hindered by chores of motherhood, if she were a female writer with child or she is hindered from being an effective mother by the vigorousness of her professional life-- the room behind the curtain which Virginia Woolf emphasizes, in A Room of One’s Own, that a female writer needs to have. Her thighs are tied while in labor so she would not bring to term the fruition of her womb and the seed of her man. The feeling of suffocation and turmoil which the woman who goes through such situation is projected in the reader’s mind, as one can see her being disoriented as the enemy tried to force her to go against the natural path her body is engineered to perform—bearing her child. One immediately understand that the use of such illustration is that she is a woman who is about to give birth to her mind’s progenies, but is hindered, with her hands tied with the chores of motherhood; or the reverse, she is a woman who desire to have a child but is hindered by the vigorousness of her professional life— the room behind the curtain which Woolf emphasizes that a female writer needs to have. One can see her being disoriented as the enemy (man, society and her maternal instinct) forces her against the natural path her body is engineered to perform—bearing her child, or her mind’s creation.
The fourth stanza also depicts man’s power and woman’s vulnerability to such uneasy supremacy. Man is described as the enemy, one who ensures that she does not give birth. This is ironical, since it is from man that the seed for such fruit of motherhood and writing is established. This allegory refers to the male dominating literary world which did not encourage a woman to be an artist, on the contrary she was snubbed, slapped, lectured and exhorted (Woolf 55). This was the reason why many women picked up male pseudonyms in order to publish their works and be treated as able contemporaries. This is also one of the reasons why Woolf criticizes Cambridge establishment very often in her works and makes it clear that a woman could be an incredible writer, only if given the right resources.
The climax of the disoriented feeling is provided in the 5th stanza. This time it is not the internal turmoil of the woman that is showcased, but rather who she is— “she is an ancestress, a burning witch” (21). She is a progenitor of many generations, one whose words are powerful so much that they make others fear the strength behind the words and condemn her-- she is referred to as a witch, but albeit a burning one. With this, “how to make spells” comes to one’s mind, since witches are associated with spells (6). But more importantly the theme of suppression is visible, the witches’ mouth is covered with leather to strangle the spells from bursting out since spoken words are powerful. She is deprived of the very thing that is inherent to her nature- reciting chants and spell. This stanza is reminiscent of Woolf’s analogy that if indeed Shakespeare’s sister had been born, “she would have gone crazy, shot herself or ended up in some lonely cottage outside the village, half witch, half wizard, feared and mocked at” (Woolf 49).
This particular illustration is fascinating because it deals with spoken word much more that the other stanzas do. The previous stanzas appear to be more focused on the written word and its creation. Perhaps, it is deliberate to show the relation with written and spoken words; words are powerful and significant, but their power is not kindled till they are spoken. That word conjured in the mind, written in the heart and tablets of stone or paper is ineffective until it is uttered. Perhaps this is a problem with female writers: they write but do not speak, and die without leaving their legacy behind.
To say that Margaret Atwood, Virginia Woolf, and many other women were concerned about the struggle and frustration of female writers is an understatement. They delve into issues that affect the productivity of a female writer and prevent her from executing her goals, dreams, ideas and words into realization. It is ironic that Atwood uses an unrestrained method, free verse, in addressing the constraint of a female writers. She is able to utilize the freedom to create structure and can afford to be spontaneous. Conceivably, she is offering a solution to the issues addressed and advocating that a female writer should just give in to her instinct and not be flustered by the rules and the challenges of the profession.
Poem-A CAGED BIRD- Analysis -
CREDITS TOhttps://sites.google.com/site/swanierenglish/caged-bird-by-maya-angelou
Throughout history, there has been segregation between various races. Barriers between blacks and whites have existed for hundreds of years. During an era of white supremacy, the lives of African-American's were characterized by discrimination and limited opportunities. This was a period of African-American inferiority; which forced them to endure many inequities and injustices. This discrimination is a result of the tradition of whites. Blacks were forced to be servile and submissive due to these customs that were deeply ingrained in a prejudiced society. The only way for African-Americans to earn respect was for them to have a voice and stand up for their rights. Maya Angelou encouraged those of her ethnicity to do this in her poem Caged Bird.
This poem is an extended metaphor. Although the speaker doesn't mention any races, it is clear that she is showing how the freedoms allotted whites are diametrically opposed to those given to the blacks. In the first stanza, the speaker illustrates how the free bird, or white race, is untroubled. It also shows how the white race has the audacity to own and govern society unjustly. The speaker concludes'' (the free bird) dares to claim the sky". This shows how whites demonstrated discrimination and prejudice toward blacks. Unfortunately, this deplorable conduct was condoned in society.
In the second stanza, the speaker describes the actions of the caged bird, or African-Americans. The speaker says," But a caged bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage". This is an illustration of the anger and frustration blacks were forced to endure. They were mistreated because they were different and thought of as inferior. In line 1 and 2, the speaker says,” The free bird leaps on the back of the wind…,”. The speaker is conveying that whites believed they were superior over other races due to the prejudiced traditions in a segregated America. In the end, African-Americans knew it was necessary to stand up for their long-deserved freedom. A pattern of rhyme is also established to give this stanza an upbeat rhythm to emphasize the enraged attitude of the blacks. The speaker says, " His wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing". This highlights the disadvantages African-American's had to endure due to the color of their skin. It also shows that blacks yearned for equality so they stood up for their freedom.
In stanza three, the speaker says, "The free bird thinks of another breeze... And the fat worms waiting on the dawn bright lawn". The breeze and fat worms are metaphors for all the hopes and opportunities that the whites had that the blacks didn't have. The speaker also uses auditory devices of alliteration and assonance to give the poem a continuous flow.
This poem is a great metaphor that illustrates the attitudes African-American's experiences during segregation . During this discriminatory era, blacks were in a state of oppression due to the stolen opportunities and the hatred they regularly encountered. The African-American race knew it was necessary to have a voice and finally sing for their freedom.
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