Strings of Control
Control is an occurrence that slips in and out of our everyday lives. It could occur in the form of your boss, your parents, and even in moments like waiting for the walking sign at a crosswalk. No matter who we are, someone or something always has control over us like translucent strings pulling and pushing us throughout our lives. These strings that control us are brought to attention in the poem "I Once Was a Child" through the author, Victoria Chang's, numerous descriptions of times where she was deprived of control. Chang shows the reader how the strings control the speaker, yet how she refuses them and is able to break free. In the poem, Chang shows her rejection of control by showing moments where she has no control …show more content…
The first line of the poem, "I once was a child am a child am someone's child not my mother's not my father's", directly displays the speaker's refusal of any control over herself. By saying that she is someone's child, but not her own parent's, is a way for the poet to show her defiance towards any control that her parents once had over her and control from what society considers normal. The immediate refusal of her own parents does not make logical sense since every child has a mother and father. However, Chang's decision to make such a bold statement in the first two lines of her poem was deliberate in order to defy any rules and norms set by the expectation of being a child. Denying control from her parents and control from any set expectations in the first two lines of "I Once Was a Child" lets the reader understand that Chang rejects control, and sets the theme of control for the rest of the …show more content…
Throughout the poem, the poet continues to describe situations where the speaker lacked control. From having a boss control what she could do, to pointing out that even the land is owned by people, control is a theme that can be seen throughout the poem. However, despite giving examples of control over herself and portraying herself as powerless and insignificant to these bigger forces, Chang at the same time asserts her own control over the reader. Throughout the poem, each stanza does not have closure and flowed over to the next stanza, no capitalization was used, and the entire poem does not contain one period, semicolon, or comma. While the poet writes about all the control that was held over her, she sneakily retaliates for her loss of control by writing in a way that opposes the invisible guidelines and control that comes alongside with any written piece, punctuation. By defying the purpose of a stanza, not using capitalization and using no punctuation, Chang asserts her own control despite others who had control in her life by writing in a way that shows her own power through words.
Throughout "I Once Was a Child", control is portrayed in various forms regarding the poet's outlook and position in life. Chang shows the reader how control played a role throughout her life and writes in a way that makes it seem as if she came to the conclusion that everything
Control is an occurrence that slips in and out of our everyday lives. It could occur in the form of your boss, your parents, and even in moments like waiting for the walking sign at a crosswalk. No matter who we are, someone or something always has control over us like translucent strings pulling and pushing us throughout our lives. These strings that control us are brought to attention in the poem "I Once Was a Child" through the author, Victoria Chang's, numerous descriptions of times where she was deprived of control. Chang shows the reader how the strings control the speaker, yet how she refuses them and is able to break free. In the poem, Chang shows her rejection of control by showing moments where she has no control …show more content…
The first line of the poem, "I once was a child am a child am someone's child not my mother's not my father's", directly displays the speaker's refusal of any control over herself. By saying that she is someone's child, but not her own parent's, is a way for the poet to show her defiance towards any control that her parents once had over her and control from what society considers normal. The immediate refusal of her own parents does not make logical sense since every child has a mother and father. However, Chang's decision to make such a bold statement in the first two lines of her poem was deliberate in order to defy any rules and norms set by the expectation of being a child. Denying control from her parents and control from any set expectations in the first two lines of "I Once Was a Child" lets the reader understand that Chang rejects control, and sets the theme of control for the rest of the …show more content…
Throughout the poem, the poet continues to describe situations where the speaker lacked control. From having a boss control what she could do, to pointing out that even the land is owned by people, control is a theme that can be seen throughout the poem. However, despite giving examples of control over herself and portraying herself as powerless and insignificant to these bigger forces, Chang at the same time asserts her own control over the reader. Throughout the poem, each stanza does not have closure and flowed over to the next stanza, no capitalization was used, and the entire poem does not contain one period, semicolon, or comma. While the poet writes about all the control that was held over her, she sneakily retaliates for her loss of control by writing in a way that opposes the invisible guidelines and control that comes alongside with any written piece, punctuation. By defying the purpose of a stanza, not using capitalization and using no punctuation, Chang asserts her own control despite others who had control in her life by writing in a way that shows her own power through words.
Throughout "I Once Was a Child", control is portrayed in various forms regarding the poet's outlook and position in life. Chang shows the reader how control played a role throughout her life and writes in a way that makes it seem as if she came to the conclusion that everything