It's A Woman's World By Eavan Boland Analysis

Over time, women have struggled to free themselves of systematic oppression that prevents them from achieving and succeeding in society. In the poem “It’s a Woman’s World”, Eavan Boland is an examination on the status of women in society. The title, which is an allusion to the James Brown song “It’s a Man’s World”, suggests that Boland believes that women are superior to men regarding status in society. However, the content of the poem promptly proceeds to contradict the title. Throughout Boland’s poem, the speaker reveals that in a “woman’s world”, women are overlooked and their status remains unchanged in the community.
First and foremost, the poem addresses the inventions of the prehistoric age such as the wheel and the knife while relating it to the fact that the status of women has not changed in society. In the first two stanzas, Boland juxtaposes the inventions of the past with modern day when the speaker laments on the fact that even though technology has improved, women are still stuck in the past regarding equality. This blatantly reveals the fact that woman are still in a position in which they are viewed as inferior. By contrasting the past and the present, the speaker sets a precedent that the status of woman has not changed over time. This pessimistic view perfectly emulates Boland’s views towards advancing in society as a woman.
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However, Boland instills a hopeful and allusive tone as she hints towards women rising above the occasion of their oppression and becoming “fire-eaters” and “star-gazers”, women who are dreaming and desire a better future. Women have been oppressed and chained by societal norms since prehistoric ages, and even though that status has remained the same, Boland instills hope that women will rise above the stigma and achieve true