Break By Dorianne Laux Summary

Throughout time, social systems in societies have always been designed by those in power and followed by the common person. In these societies, those higher in the social system set certain trends that were practiced by lower caste members, in order to fit in. In the last two centuries, these social elites and their institutions are collectively referred to as popular culture. Popular culture projects increasingly impossible-to-reach standards of living, which can, consequently, detract from the satisfaction one has for themselves when they cannot meet these trends’ demands. In “Break”, Dorianne Laux addresses popular culture’s negative effect on the average person relative to happiness and satisfaction with living conditions. Dorianne …show more content…
The puzzle, which includes a girl, the sky, trees, a house, and a bed, distracts the people from a world that is falling apart. The author illustrates that the distracted group has their backs turned towards a crumbling world while completely focused on the puzzle that is pleasurable to assemble. The puzzle, which is described with words like “neat”, and “good”, seems to come to life when in progress of completion. In this poem, the author addresses how popular culture is ruining the actual lives of the common person by fabricating the ideal life achieved by impossible methods. When the average person sees the projected lives of the social elites along with the masses of populations following these trends, this person would most likely attempt to also match these trends to be socially accepted. The author points out how the trending, ideal lives cannot fulfill one to be truly happy and are evanescent. Whilst placing the puzzle together, the author says it fits “sweetly” (Laux, Line 3), which at first sight can describe how appealing the mainstream life can be, but when further examined, can also describe candy, which is not everlasting, just