Suicide Note Poem By Linda Pastan Woman

Gender Ruling What are a woman’s duties? Do they involve being at home? Or can women be accepted in men dominated jobs? The answer is simple. We, as a society, tend to judge the occupation of people based on their genders. Many poems convey a different message or theme and some authors have written about issues that he or her faces or issues that we face as a whole. Gender roles has been a fairly widespread topic by authors in these poems and the authors try to portray the message of society expecting women to do everything in the house. Authors like Linda Pastan, Janice Mirikitani, and May Swenson have written poems to convey their message about the stereotypes of gender roles. In Linda Pastan’s, “Marks”, we see how a woman that is a …show more content…
In this free verse poem, a young adult, female student that attends college has reportedly committed suicide by jumping out of her window from her dorm. To follow up, she has written a suicide note that explains her problems in life. This poem may pertain specifically to Asian-American women, but there still is a significant message about gender roles and sexuality. The narrator states, “dear mother and father. I apologize for disappointing you. I’ve worked very hard, not good enough” (Mirikitani 4-8). The student tends to criticize herself at the end of every stanza by saying something along the lines of “not good enough” to emphasize her message to the audience. The use of repetition gives a hint to the reader that something is important. The message of gender roles is portrayed starting at lines 10 to 16, “If only I were a son, shoulder broad as the sunset threading through pine, I would see the light in my mother’s eyes, or the golden pride reflected in my father’s dream of my wide, male hands worthy of work and comfort.” The student has stated that if she was a boy, she would have been treated differently, but in a good way. She would have been appreciated, comforted, and respected. Women are expected to do very well in school to become a nurse or a housewife, which is very …show more content…
This is concrete, free verse poem that shows what women are depicted as. The author says, “Women should be pedestals” (Swenson 1-5 & 24-26). She starts off and ends with the same statement, which gives the reader a heads up that she is trying to say something important here. Swenson tries to say that women are like objects to men, more or less, sexually. Once again, it is stereotypical for women to be a housewife, which she is portrayed in this poem. The author is trying to say that women are made for men due to their pleasure. They should be smiling, waiting, and available when needed. We can conclude that gender roles play a huge role in this poem because men are taking advantage of the