Maxine Kumin: Poem Analysis

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Maxine Kumin is a prominent female writer and her writings have left a mark on the hearts of feminists. She was born on June 6, 1925 and recently died on February 6, 2014. Before she passed away, Kumin actively voiced her strong support of women accomplishing their goals and performing their desired careers. However, this is not her only key theme throughout her works. She often writes about identity, the monetary nature of life, loss, and man’s relationship with nature (Poetry Foundation). To clearly convey her message about the important subject matter, Kumin utilizes the concept of tone to convey the narrator’s perspective and emotions throughout her poems. The tone is delivered through the diction and style of Kumin’s poems. After analyzing Maxine Kumin’s work, one will realize the deliverance of her messages depends on the adamant and plainspoken tone that she utilizes within her poems. …show more content…
It describes an unusual situation. Essentially, the poem relays the story of a woman attempting to eliminate the woodchucks that continue to devour the vegetables in her garden. About halfway through the poem, the tone shifts drastically, allowing the reader to experience the woman’s fury about the circumstances of the situation. The poem relays the speaker’s attitude toward the rodents, which shifts from sympathetic to unrelenting. The poet depicts a vivid, disturbing image of the woodchucks’ demise through its diction and style of

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