A piece of text can be read and interpreted differently by two different readers because the meaning of the text is determined by the reader. Age, race or gender can all have an effect on interpretation. One major factor that can have an effect on interpretation is society and the generation that the reader grew up in. Society have changed dramatically since the 1950’s which can contribute to the interpretation of a piece of text. In the 1950s gender roles were very prevalent and reinforced by society. Women were expected to be a loving mother, a diligent home maker and an obedient wife. A “good” wife did everything her man asked of her and never stole against them. Women “would do anything to please their men because their life depended on
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In the last thirty years, expectations of women have changed. There are similar stereotypes such as physiological and occupational, but, women are more equally engaged in financial roles, there are more women in the workforce, and women have more say and power in the household. One of the major changes in the last thirty years is that there is less pressure to have children, children are no longer an expectation but a privilege. The poems, Metaphors and The Applicant by Sylvia Plath would be read and interpreted by a white man in the 1950’s on the basis of expectations appointed by society, whereas a white woman in the 21st century would read and interpret based on own personal expectations. Sylvia Plaths’ Metaphors, is about her pregnancy and how she felt trapped and forced into having children because of society. Plath wrote this poem during her first pregnancy and expressed her feelings during the pregnancy using metaphors. The lines …show more content…
The poem is about an individual who is applying for a wife and is being sold on the qualities of the product, “ It can sew, it can cook, / It can talk, talk, talk. / … there is nothing wrong with it, (Plath 34-36). Used in the poem many times is “it” in reference to females, during the 1950s women were merely viewed as an object to a man. Women would “cook” and “sew”, which were traditional skills and activities that wives and mothers took part in, but they also could “talk, talk, talk”, in the poem Plath uses a triple to show that women talk excessively and that talking is all they were good for along with fulfilling the needs of their man. A white man from the 1950s will interpret this objectification of women as normal. Women were suppose to stay home and do everything their man asked of them,. A white man in that time would view this as the normal life of a wife and mother. Men were very powerful during this time so they had high expectations from their wives and did not view women as an important part of society, they only care that they can “cook” and “sew” as well as be good a wife, mother, and housekeeper. A women from the 21st century would read this as society and men being repressive towards women. This objectification is not acceptable by women today. In comparison to today, women have much more opportunity to succeed in society and now have a voice and can
In the last thirty years, expectations of women have changed. There are similar stereotypes such as physiological and occupational, but, women are more equally engaged in financial roles, there are more women in the workforce, and women have more say and power in the household. One of the major changes in the last thirty years is that there is less pressure to have children, children are no longer an expectation but a privilege. The poems, Metaphors and The Applicant by Sylvia Plath would be read and interpreted by a white man in the 1950’s on the basis of expectations appointed by society, whereas a white woman in the 21st century would read and interpret based on own personal expectations. Sylvia Plaths’ Metaphors, is about her pregnancy and how she felt trapped and forced into having children because of society. Plath wrote this poem during her first pregnancy and expressed her feelings during the pregnancy using metaphors. The lines …show more content…
The poem is about an individual who is applying for a wife and is being sold on the qualities of the product, “ It can sew, it can cook, / It can talk, talk, talk. / … there is nothing wrong with it, (Plath 34-36). Used in the poem many times is “it” in reference to females, during the 1950s women were merely viewed as an object to a man. Women would “cook” and “sew”, which were traditional skills and activities that wives and mothers took part in, but they also could “talk, talk, talk”, in the poem Plath uses a triple to show that women talk excessively and that talking is all they were good for along with fulfilling the needs of their man. A white man from the 1950s will interpret this objectification of women as normal. Women were suppose to stay home and do everything their man asked of them,. A white man in that time would view this as the normal life of a wife and mother. Men were very powerful during this time so they had high expectations from their wives and did not view women as an important part of society, they only care that they can “cook” and “sew” as well as be good a wife, mother, and housekeeper. A women from the 21st century would read this as society and men being repressive towards women. This objectification is not acceptable by women today. In comparison to today, women have much more opportunity to succeed in society and now have a voice and can