The poem, “Daystar”, by Rita Dove expresses the monotonous duties of the main character, a mother and wife, who struggles with the continuing lack of peace in her everyday life. Throughout the poem, Dove highlights the exhausting duties of the main character through gloomy diction, a sympathetic tone, and subtle types of figurative language. Through these few aspects, the reader is able to understand the theme of the underappreciated and overworked mother that the poem focuses itself on.
The author repeatedly uses negative types of diction to emphasize her tone. Within the first two stanzas, Dove begins to stress the weariness of the main character through her choice of words. The author creates an image of the unenthusiastic troubles of motherhood …show more content…
In the first stanza, the “doll slumped” and the “diapers steaming” serve as a metaphor to represent the mother and the exhaustion and unrest she faces in everyday life (Dove 1276). The mirror image of the character provides the reader with an understanding of why the character’s time alone is necessary. In the final stanza, the character compares her independent time to that of a “palace”, which is a metaphor for her time alone. This hour of independence each day represents her time to shine as she is the sole ‘ruler’ of her palace, where she is not required to do any duties. The “palace” reflects the character’s dream of a grander life which she finds is unattainable (Dove 1277). Finally, the author purposely uses the name of both the daughter and husband to symbolize their importance, which also serves to symbolize the deemed ‘unimportance’ of the mother. Dove chooses to emphasize the importance of “Liza” and “Thomas” through their names; the main character, however, remains nameless, which furthers the idea that her only importance is that of a mother and wife and nothing else. Though the types of figurative language used are subtle, it continues to further the theme of the fatigued mother and her continued unimportance she
The author repeatedly uses negative types of diction to emphasize her tone. Within the first two stanzas, Dove begins to stress the weariness of the main character through her choice of words. The author creates an image of the unenthusiastic troubles of motherhood …show more content…
In the first stanza, the “doll slumped” and the “diapers steaming” serve as a metaphor to represent the mother and the exhaustion and unrest she faces in everyday life (Dove 1276). The mirror image of the character provides the reader with an understanding of why the character’s time alone is necessary. In the final stanza, the character compares her independent time to that of a “palace”, which is a metaphor for her time alone. This hour of independence each day represents her time to shine as she is the sole ‘ruler’ of her palace, where she is not required to do any duties. The “palace” reflects the character’s dream of a grander life which she finds is unattainable (Dove 1277). Finally, the author purposely uses the name of both the daughter and husband to symbolize their importance, which also serves to symbolize the deemed ‘unimportance’ of the mother. Dove chooses to emphasize the importance of “Liza” and “Thomas” through their names; the main character, however, remains nameless, which furthers the idea that her only importance is that of a mother and wife and nothing else. Though the types of figurative language used are subtle, it continues to further the theme of the fatigued mother and her continued unimportance she