Linda Pastan Metaphors

“About 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher” (American Psychological Association). In today’s society, the population is highly aware of how common divorce can be. If the traditional gender roles were the same in the 70's as they are today, divorce would have been just as common. No one should receive a grade on how well they accomplish their daily chores, especially if it is coming from their family members. People should recognize how grateful they are to have a family in the first place, and they should appreciate what’s done for them, not how it’s done. Linda Pastan’s poem Marks contains irony, metaphors, and appropriate diction throughout the text to
This poem may not seem like it has any irony in it, until you reach the very last line. When Pastan admits that she is dropping out, as if she was actually in school, it is understood that this entire poem contains irony. The speaker admitting that she is dropping out can have many different interpretations; is she going along with the whole student concept or is she dropping out of her own family simply because she feels unappreciated? Feeling obligated to impress your loved ones can greatly affect your relationship with each other and make it more difficult to get along. “My husband gives me an A for last night’s supper, an incomplete for my ironing, a B plus in bed” (Pastan 148). Although it was clear that her family members graded her performance as a mother and as a wife and not as a student, it was easy to come to the conclusion that Pastan shouldn’t be receiving letter grades, a grade based off of a ranking system, or a grade based off of a pass/fail
“My son says I am average, an average mother, but if I put my mind to it I could improve” (Pastan 148). This metaphor controls the flow and the purpose of the entire poem, making it a controlling metaphor. There was a second metaphor that was hidden behind the text that was crucial to the text. The mother in the family was being compared to a student attending school. This metaphor was a very beneficial way to connect to the readers, seeing as though the majority of people reading this poem might be high school or college students. It was easy for the readers to connect with the speaker, especially since they could relate to the grading system that Pastan admitted to receiving from her family. Receiving grades for your hard work is required in school, but something that should be avoided as a parent and a significant other. It is very easy to slack off in school, however it is almost impossible to slack off and just give up as a mother. Dropping out would ease all of the speaker’s stress and she could stop worrying about how to get a passing grade from her family however, that is much easier said than