Evan Boland: It's a Woman's World analysis

What is the tone of this poem, and what exemplifies this?

Simple diction and the alliteration of the w and wh sounds in lines 3-4 create a calm tone

There are similarities within the use of diction and imagery in this poem, what is an example of this?

In line 9 and 39, Boland uses milestone and moth, both nouns, as verbs. This use of language gives other words, such as "oversights" a stronger effect, thus creating more effect within diction. Within both of these lines, images of potential destruction parallel each other.

The speaker aims to give women a negative definition, what are examples of this?

"The wash left wet" is an example of this negative definition by ending the last phrase in the fourth stanza. This phrase describes women as the cleaners of the mess, the janitors. In stanza 5 Boland describes women as being defined "by what we forget, by what we will never be: Star-Gazers, fire-eaters" Boland implies that society believes we have accomplished nothing worth remembrance, and that we will never accomplish high hopes and dreams that reach the stars, or be the ones with the power to start the "fire" of revolution.

Where and what serves as a negative metaphor?

In stanza 7, Boland compares history to the scene of the crime, thus establishing a negative definition and metaphorical comparison between the two.

In stanzas 6 and 8, there is alliteration. Describe the extent of the alliteration and its effect

There is an alliteration of the s, z, and g sounds, primarily s & g. These alliterations extend the negative definition of women in stanza 6 to stanza 8, and link together the seemingly unimportant role of women. The alliterations in stanza 6 define women as never being important, in the way we are described as never to be "Star-gazers," or "fire-eaters" just as the ones in stanza 8 define women as "gristing bread," when the head of the king "gored its basket - grim harvest," demonstrating how during the French Revolution we simply procured recipes and bread, further enforcing and extending the seemingly minor role we have played during important historical events.

In poem, explain two odd sentence openers, and their thematic effect?

Stanzas 10 and 12 begin with odd sentence openers. The "and" in stanza 10 and "But" in stanza 12 both imply that there is more to women than originally thought and extends their definition.

What figurative language is in stanza 11?

A buried metaphor. Women's outrage was a song that was never scored.

How does the poem end?

Ends with ambiguity, wl

What are some aspects about the speaker? provide evidence.

•Speaker is believable by sounding knowledgeable of the past:

-lined 29-30 "when the king's head/gored its basket"

& is also believable by the use of first person plural pronouns making her intimately involved with the woman's role, but not alone, and through specific description:

-lines 12-17 "our lives with oversights- living by the lights // of the loaf left by the cash register, / the washing powder laid for and wrapped, // the wash left wet."

•Has resigned tone through diction:

-"we are defined," which is a resentful statement, and "and still no page/ scores the low music/ of our outrage"

•Her aim is to point out how women have not made any progress regarding self-definition

-we know about the powerful women in history but she is expressing the ordinary women and their limited lives.

What are aspects about the poem?

•Poem demonstrates the unchangeability and sameness of women's lives through negative diction

-"hardly changed," "what we will never be," "she's no fire-eater"

•title is a play upon the old common statement of "it's a man's world," and is ironic, considering this is really a man's world.

•Has strongly charged words that allow for inclusive feelings within women, through the use of first person and the opposite effect on men.

-"whetted," "greedily,"

-words that symbolize the olden days and when people didn't understand the universe and tried to appear supernatural women's role then, "Star-gazers," "fire-eaters,"

-and contemporary sounding words to symbolize modern day, how we still haven't changed, "cash register," "scene of the crime."

•has Enthymeme: logical reasoning with 1 premise left unstated.

-unstated premise: women didn't participant in history of ancient times.

-minor premise: nothing has changed.

-conclusion: women don't have much of s role in the doings of today's world