A Work of Artifice Lecture Notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the analysis of Marge Piercy's poem "A Work of Artifice," focusing on metaphors for patriarchy and restricted growth.

A Work of Artifice

The title of the poem by Marge Piercy discussed in the notes.

Marge Piercy

The author of the poem, whose work explores themes of patriarchy.

Bonsai tree

A metaphor representing a woman who is restricted and shaped by societal expectations.

Gardener

A metaphor for the male of society or the patriarchy who prunes and controls growth.

Attractive pot

A metaphor for restriction or the home that keeps the tree (woman) confined while appearing positive.

Eighty feet tall

The height the bonsai tree could have grown on the side of a mountain, symbolizing potential and freedom, written as $80\text{ feet}$.

Nine inches high

The actual height of the bonsai tree after being carefully pruned, written as $9\text{ inches}$.

Lightning

A symbol representing the "brightness of their life" or natural risks encountered in the wild.

Croons

To hum in a soft voice; what the gardener does while telling the tree it is lucky to be small.

Whittles

The act of trimming or cutting back the branches to shape the tree.

"Small and cozy, domestic and weak"

The specific traits the gardener assigns to the tree's nature to justify its restricted state.

Dwarf their growth

The process of limiting a creature's potential, achieved through methods like bound feet or a crippled brain.

Bound feet

A specific historical example mentioned in the notes of how growth is dwarfed in living creatures.

"The hands you love to touch"

A phrase from the poem noted for its use of alliteration.

"How lucky, little tree"

A phrase identified as an example of alliteration used by the gardener.