Analysis of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “I, being born a woman and distressed

How was Millay and Robert Frost similar?

They were both masters of meter and verse

I being born a woman and distressed is an example of Millays use of what?

The Petrarchan sonnet form

What does a Sonnet consist of?

Fourteen lines

What is the Petrarchan form composed of?

An opening eight-lines stanza 

What rhyme scheme does the Petarchan form use?

ABBAABBA

What rhyme scheme does the final six line stanza consist of?

CDCDCD

In Petrarchan form what is the opening eight line stanza called?

An octet

What is the concluding six line stanza called?

sestet

The two stanzas are separated by what?

A volta, or turn

What does the volta represent?

A shift throughout the argument of the poem

What is the turn of I being born and woman and distressed marked by?

The word however

Where does the turn occur in I being born a woman and distressed?

The middle of the ninth line

What does I being born a woman and distressed enact?

The contemplation of a serious problem or questions

What is the speaker reflecting on?

How her identity as a woman and “all the needs and notions” that go along with it creates no negotiable expectations

What nonnegotiable expectations must she follow?

She must be exited to have physical contact with him, and be overwhelmed by her desire for him

What does the iambic pentameter in the octet consist of?

Five metrical feet containing an unstressed and then syllables

What does the Iambic pentameter do?

It helps make the passage flow without any complications

What is noticeable after the octet and sestet?

A shift in the speakers reflection

After the octet and sestet what does the speaker describe?

The “poor treason” of her “stout blood against my staggering brain” or the way that she internally resists the supposedly inevitable infatuation that she must feel toward her addressee

What does she challenge?

The idea that women cannot dictate the terms of their intimate relationships

The “frenzy” that is supposed to overwhelm her is not sufficient to carry what?

Meaningful romance

What are her feelongs about the passion she may feel for him?

It is not enough for her

What has the speaker moved on from since the 1st octet?

The ironically elevated language to a more direct language

What does she refer to in the poems last line?

Not a sustained connection but to a passing affair since rather than staying together permanently they will instead have the chance to potentially meet again

The tension between octet and sestet is between what?

Social expectation and personal value, as well as mind and body

Where can ironic language be found?

The 1st octet

What does the ironic language in the 1st octet suggest about the speaker?

It suggests that the speaker views with suspicion that is urged upon her

Is the frenzy of physical desire denied in the poem?

No

The speaker sees a disconnect between what?

Biological inpulse, and personal choice

What does the speaker feel about natural desire?

Feeling desire is natural but being defined by desire is something that the speaker rejects

When does the speaker reject being defined by natural desire?

After the volta in line 9

What does the poems formal movement do?

It helps reinforce the speakers point

What is the speakers point?

The wild “frenzy” she must feel for the addressee might be powerful but it is not binding and she has the power and strength to name, resist, and control

What is the Poem an examination of?

Women’s desire

What does the poem show Millays ability to do?

Use older poetic forms to explore contemporary social problems