Comparing Power In The Writer And A & P
Who Holds The Power?
The main theme of both the poem “The Writer” by Richard Wilber and “A&P” by John Updike is power. Both address the theme of power differently. In the poem the father allows his daughter to hold her own power, and does not attempt to take it from her. Whereas in the short story, the manager Lengel is the one holding all of the power, until Sammy fights to gain his own power. Both pieces show power and empowerment in different ways, but still address the overarching theme of who holds truly holds the power/ In “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur, throughout the poem the father talks about how proud he is of his daughter. The theme here is power and the daughter shows her power through her writing there no one can take that power away not even her own father: “My daughter is writing a story/I pause in the stairwell, hearing/from the shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys” (Lines 3-5). Here it …show more content…
The idea of power is present through Lengel, the manager. Lengel has all the power, when it comes to telling the girls not to come into the store again dressed in their bikinis, and the power to fire Sammy for sticking up for the girls, because the girls went against store policy. He shows his power and authority in one scene when he yells, and embaresses the three girls who walked into the store wearing nothing but their bikinis: "Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy” (Updike, 1). Lengel is demonstrating his own power through making a seen, and silencing the girls. He doesn’t even allow them to defend themselves, because he ‘doesn’t want to argue’, he wants them to know he is in control and that he holds the power. Sammy, however, does not agree with Lengel’s humiliation of the girls, and decides to take on some power himself. He quits, and this reminds Lengel that he cannot control everyone and
The main theme of both the poem “The Writer” by Richard Wilber and “A&P” by John Updike is power. Both address the theme of power differently. In the poem the father allows his daughter to hold her own power, and does not attempt to take it from her. Whereas in the short story, the manager Lengel is the one holding all of the power, until Sammy fights to gain his own power. Both pieces show power and empowerment in different ways, but still address the overarching theme of who holds truly holds the power/ In “The Writer” by Richard Wilbur, throughout the poem the father talks about how proud he is of his daughter. The theme here is power and the daughter shows her power through her writing there no one can take that power away not even her own father: “My daughter is writing a story/I pause in the stairwell, hearing/from the shut door a commotion of typewriter-keys” (Lines 3-5). Here it …show more content…
The idea of power is present through Lengel, the manager. Lengel has all the power, when it comes to telling the girls not to come into the store again dressed in their bikinis, and the power to fire Sammy for sticking up for the girls, because the girls went against store policy. He shows his power and authority in one scene when he yells, and embaresses the three girls who walked into the store wearing nothing but their bikinis: "Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy” (Updike, 1). Lengel is demonstrating his own power through making a seen, and silencing the girls. He doesn’t even allow them to defend themselves, because he ‘doesn’t want to argue’, he wants them to know he is in control and that he holds the power. Sammy, however, does not agree with Lengel’s humiliation of the girls, and decides to take on some power himself. He quits, and this reminds Lengel that he cannot control everyone and