Momma Chrystal Meeker Analysis
In the poem “Momma” by Chrystal Meeker, the narrator shows the reader what the true meaning of being a mother is. It shows that it is not about what a mom can give to their child or what they buy for them, but what they will give up for their children. In this poem, a mother looks back on her own childhood and realizes what her mother was willing to sacrifice for her children. The poem expresses a mother struggling to raise her children amongst difficulties and the true meaning of motherhood.
First of all it is clear that the mother and daughters relationship is a little unstable. It is clear that the two did not always see things the same way in the line “they clawed their womanhoods out of each other” (line 3). The poem also suggests that …show more content…
the family is living with severe financial difficulties. After dinner the mother stood “vacant-eyed” and “hollow-cheeked” (line 9), she sent the children outside to play in a parking lot. This describes the living condition of the family. The “cracking” counter in line 21 tells the reader that the house they are living in is complete shambles.
However, it is in the actions of the mother and the understandings of her daughter that the true epiphany of the poem is shown.
While the children are outside playing, the mother “began to lick the crumbs from my sister’s plate” (line 19). When she is asked about licking the crumbs, she “quietly” admits that she has not had anything to eat in five days. The mother sacrifices her meals to make sure that her children are fed. The child felt guilty from not knowing what her mother was going through. This is the epiphany in the poem. Once Kayla realizes this, she carries this secret around until “it churned in her stomach like tapeworms ringed with razors” (line 38). Years later Kayla finally tells this secret to her sister. It just happened to be a day where she has had a fight with their mother. When the narrator gets to her mom she stands there calmy. The narrator then “hugged my Momma for all that I’d done wrong.”
In this poem Chrystal Meeker does an exceptional job of showing what this family is going through. We understand that they are far from rich but that there is true love and loyalty from this mother toward her children. The reader also understands what the mother sacrifices, but more importantly her daughters come to appreciate what she has done for
them.
First of all it is clear that the mother and daughters relationship is a little unstable. It is clear that the two did not always see things the same way in the line “they clawed their womanhoods out of each other” (line 3). The poem also suggests that …show more content…
the family is living with severe financial difficulties. After dinner the mother stood “vacant-eyed” and “hollow-cheeked” (line 9), she sent the children outside to play in a parking lot. This describes the living condition of the family. The “cracking” counter in line 21 tells the reader that the house they are living in is complete shambles.
However, it is in the actions of the mother and the understandings of her daughter that the true epiphany of the poem is shown.
While the children are outside playing, the mother “began to lick the crumbs from my sister’s plate” (line 19). When she is asked about licking the crumbs, she “quietly” admits that she has not had anything to eat in five days. The mother sacrifices her meals to make sure that her children are fed. The child felt guilty from not knowing what her mother was going through. This is the epiphany in the poem. Once Kayla realizes this, she carries this secret around until “it churned in her stomach like tapeworms ringed with razors” (line 38). Years later Kayla finally tells this secret to her sister. It just happened to be a day where she has had a fight with their mother. When the narrator gets to her mom she stands there calmy. The narrator then “hugged my Momma for all that I’d done wrong.”
In this poem Chrystal Meeker does an exceptional job of showing what this family is going through. We understand that they are far from rich but that there is true love and loyalty from this mother toward her children. The reader also understands what the mother sacrifices, but more importantly her daughters come to appreciate what she has done for
them.