Analysis Of Daystar By Rita Dove

Daystar by Rita Dove includes the use of strong diction and a woman’s point of view to describe the monotonous and tiring life of being both a mother and a wife. The diction is strong without the poem and helps to express both emotional feelings and physical sensations, and the woman’s point of view helps the reader to gain an emotional view and their own stand on what society thinks of women. The use of solid diction in Daystar is imperative to portray the emotional feelings and physical sensations of motherhood and being a wife. The first stanza provides words that create imagery of the main character and her burdensome everyday life, “But she saw diapers steaming on the line, a doll slumped behind the door,” The doll slumped behind the door symbolizes the tired mother who feels like she is a limp and lifeless doll and the steaming diapers are representation of her duties as a mother. Both lines give the reader a clue that the mother has both a baby and a child around the toddler age, and the line, “She wanted a little room for thinking” hints that she wants some time for herself away from them and her responsibilities. In order to regain some peace she “lugged a chair behind the garage to sit out the children’s …show more content…
Rita Dove intended for the readers to gain an understanding of how society sees women and how the role of mother and wife is not the ideal life for everyone. The woman’s point of view encourages readers to empathize with the main character and to attempt seeing her life from her view. She feels stuck in a life that consists of dirty diapers and slumped dolls. The one hour behind the garage is a time for a single moment of serenity for the main character, she is free to fantasize about her life being different, and she experiences a moment of freedom from responsibilities and role as both a mother and a