Mary Oliver reveals conjectures people make about other people and other cultures in her poem, “Singapore.” Oliver shares a woman’s experience in an airport bathroom. The speaker in the poem is inwardly conflicted, and her internal thoughts displayed throughout the poem alter. At first, the poem reveals the speaker’s thoughts towards a woman working as a custodian at the airport as degrading and poignant. The speaker judgmentally feels sorry for the woman and takes pity on her. The speaker’s shrewdness and reasoning behind viewing the working woman in such a negative respect stems from her own insecurity. Because she has no similar experiences to relate to the woman’s life and because her life looks drastically different the speaker assumes
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The speaker illustrates happiness as birds, rivers, trees, and waterfalls (Oliver 7-10). The speaker states that “a person wants to stand in a happy place, in a poem,” suggesting that the encounter with the woman detailed earlier in the poem was not “happy” (Oliver 11). Because the woman is most likely a tourist and does not permanently live in Singapore, a woman working could be out of the ordinary to her. Often times people who look different, act different, or believe in different things seem unconventional and aberrant. The speaker could be from a culture where women working is unacceptable or looked down on. Oliver includes a clear turning point in the speaker’s thoughts and judgement towards the woman, as she states, “She smiled and I smiled. What kind of nonsense is this? Everybody needs a job” (Oliver 15). Towards the end of the poem, however, the speaker states, “I don’t doubt for a moment that she loves her life” (Oliver 24). This concludes Oliver’s theme, as the woman’s smile humbles the speaker and transforms her view on happiness. The speaker originally believed the woman was wretched because she worked as an airport custodian. At the end of the poem, however, the speaker recognizes that just because the woman works does not mean she can not be happy, and she appreciates the differences instead of degrading the woman for their …show more content…
At the surface, the poem seems to be about social status and social significance. However, Oliver writes this poem to reveal the significance in acceptance and the importance in recognizing differences. The speaker of the poem changed drastically from the beginning of the poem to the end. She was first unimpressed by the airport cleaner and was too arrogant to recognize her as anything but pitiful. However, as the poem progresses, the speaker identifies her narrow-minded view of what happiness looks like. After the woman smiles at her while monotonously washing airport trays, the speaker apprehends the idea that although a woman’s “trees and birds” look differently than her own “trees and birds,” both are capable of finding
The speaker illustrates happiness as birds, rivers, trees, and waterfalls (Oliver 7-10). The speaker states that “a person wants to stand in a happy place, in a poem,” suggesting that the encounter with the woman detailed earlier in the poem was not “happy” (Oliver 11). Because the woman is most likely a tourist and does not permanently live in Singapore, a woman working could be out of the ordinary to her. Often times people who look different, act different, or believe in different things seem unconventional and aberrant. The speaker could be from a culture where women working is unacceptable or looked down on. Oliver includes a clear turning point in the speaker’s thoughts and judgement towards the woman, as she states, “She smiled and I smiled. What kind of nonsense is this? Everybody needs a job” (Oliver 15). Towards the end of the poem, however, the speaker states, “I don’t doubt for a moment that she loves her life” (Oliver 24). This concludes Oliver’s theme, as the woman’s smile humbles the speaker and transforms her view on happiness. The speaker originally believed the woman was wretched because she worked as an airport custodian. At the end of the poem, however, the speaker recognizes that just because the woman works does not mean she can not be happy, and she appreciates the differences instead of degrading the woman for their …show more content…
At the surface, the poem seems to be about social status and social significance. However, Oliver writes this poem to reveal the significance in acceptance and the importance in recognizing differences. The speaker of the poem changed drastically from the beginning of the poem to the end. She was first unimpressed by the airport cleaner and was too arrogant to recognize her as anything but pitiful. However, as the poem progresses, the speaker identifies her narrow-minded view of what happiness looks like. After the woman smiles at her while monotonously washing airport trays, the speaker apprehends the idea that although a woman’s “trees and birds” look differently than her own “trees and birds,” both are capable of finding