Thomas Hardy’s “The Ruined Maid” and X.J. Kennedy’s “A Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” both allude to the topic of prostitution. By analyzing and interpreting these poems, one could compare and contrast the themes, historical contexts, women’s roles in society during these times, and the subject of feminism to further understand why the women chose the life they did.
Thomas Hardy’s “The Ruined Maid” is a story that contrasts the lives of two girls; one who is an un-named farm girl and another who is an ex-farm girl, named Amelia. The poem is uniquely organized into a two-way conversation between the two girls in each stanza; the un-named farm girl speaks to Amelia in the first three lines and then Amelia replies to her in the last. In the …show more content…
During that time there was a deep cultural change in society, the roles of women were evolving, most notably, more woman than ever were entering the workforce. During this time the issues of equal pay, advancement in jobs, and sexual harassment became areas of wanted change for women more than ever. The Sexual Revolution also took place in the 1960’s when the poem was published, which is when birth control was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which gave women more control and freedom over their reproductive health. According to Beth Bailey, in her article “Prescribing the Pill: Politics, Culture, and the Sexual Revolution in America’s Heartland”, “The Sexual Revolution [was] frequently linked [to] Furr 6 changes in the “morality” of youth to the introduction of “The Pill” (827). Although it was before the Women’s Liberation Movement, women during this time were well on their way to becoming more equal to men. It may be argued that the prostitute in “A Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” is representative of the possible moral changes in women at the time and a result of their sexual liberation. The woman symbolizes “fallen women” not behaving as they should within society’s
Thomas Hardy’s “The Ruined Maid” is a story that contrasts the lives of two girls; one who is an un-named farm girl and another who is an ex-farm girl, named Amelia. The poem is uniquely organized into a two-way conversation between the two girls in each stanza; the un-named farm girl speaks to Amelia in the first three lines and then Amelia replies to her in the last. In the …show more content…
During that time there was a deep cultural change in society, the roles of women were evolving, most notably, more woman than ever were entering the workforce. During this time the issues of equal pay, advancement in jobs, and sexual harassment became areas of wanted change for women more than ever. The Sexual Revolution also took place in the 1960’s when the poem was published, which is when birth control was first approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), which gave women more control and freedom over their reproductive health. According to Beth Bailey, in her article “Prescribing the Pill: Politics, Culture, and the Sexual Revolution in America’s Heartland”, “The Sexual Revolution [was] frequently linked [to] Furr 6 changes in the “morality” of youth to the introduction of “The Pill” (827). Although it was before the Women’s Liberation Movement, women during this time were well on their way to becoming more equal to men. It may be argued that the prostitute in “A Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” is representative of the possible moral changes in women at the time and a result of their sexual liberation. The woman symbolizes “fallen women” not behaving as they should within society’s