Theme: A Work of Artifice

A Work of Artifice
By: Marge Piercy
After generally reading the poem I think we could agree that the poem is about the oppression of women. But if you go back and read and consider how meaning is embodied by the text…. then a deeper level of insight and appreciation can be revealed. Piercy describes the “natural self” as being restrained and held back from the full potential possible. And she describes how culture praises the artificial construct...
I do think our culture has come a long way since this poem was written. But Piercy was expressing a culture conflict of her time. She described a bonsai tree that had the potential to grow eighty feet tall but instead it was put into an attractive pot and was taken care of and it was expected to produce certain things and never given the chance to reach its full potential. But was told this is your “purpose/ nature”; this is your full potential. This compared to the oppression of women how they were expected to be housewives and raise children and nothing more. They were just expected to look pretty, having a family and taking care of the children was more important than, pursing an education and possibly reaching her full potential.
The author carefully uses selected words to enrich the readers sense of the theme.
I think it is sometimes easy to read through something and not fully embrace a deeper level of insight of the authors message/theme. Careful thinking upon the meanings of words can enrich the readers sense of what constitutes theme.
Considering both the literal meaning of a word and what the word implies emotionally can enrich the reading of the literature. Also consider what it signifies and what they suggest….

The approach to texts matters as much as the texts themselves.
I agree with the book (page 182) that when we read exclusively for a particular kind of instuction, we’re not really reading literature.