* WHaT IS ThE THeME iN THiS PoEM *?

Question

What is the theme in this poem? & why?

Dusting

Each morning I wrote my name
on the dusty cabinet, then crossed
the dining table in scriptm scrawled
in capitals on the back of chairs,
practicing signatures like scales
while Mother followed, squirting
linseed from a burping can
into a crumpled-up flannel.

She erased my fingerprints
from the bookshelf and rocker,
polished mirrors on the desk
scribbled with my alphabets
My name was swallowed in the towel
with which she jeweled the table tops.
The grain surfaced in the oak
and the pine grew luminous.
But I refused with every mark
to be like her, anonymous.
- Julia Alvarez

Answer 1

the mother represents conventional women's roles, cleaning and preventing her daughter from being independent by literally erasing her attempts to do something outside of her expectations/stifling and repressing her creativity, which is a result of conditioning expressing the expections of society, while the daughter is the prodigal, uh, daughter of a new generation of rebelious, self supporting young women out to make a name for themselves in every facet of society, beginning with the defilement of the home and traditional women's roles, leaving her mother and others literally in the dust. so i'd say the theme is overcoming traditional women's roles or something

Answer 2

Hi, well out of the two I probably prefer the first one. Let me walk you through my thoughts (as always use what you like, ignore what you don't): Poem 1 This opening is why I like poem 1 better. A slow dance on his wedding day is more evocative than a hidden secret in the vaults. It's a good image to hold our attention. Okay enough on the aside let's take apart the lines. a slow dance on his wedding day strong arms embrace borrowed time With free verse, you really need to be careful with your line breaks. Think about what you are trying to convey. You start with "a slow dance" but it is an incredibly short line. The line reads fast when what you are going for is the observer later in the poem aching to see another being held in this way. Also in line two: "on his" is not how you want to break a line in general it's a bit choppy and artificial. You could almost rewrite it in fewer lines: a slow dance on his wedding day strong arms embrace borrowed time Now the strong arms embrace break works very well. It's a strong verb. It plays well off of arms and borrowed. The layering seems good. Borrowed time to me though is a bit cliche. You could probably come up with something better. An unrequited brooding love, a passion buried in her frame. She longed that she should be the one who held him close and called his name. This strophe is a little obvious. You're just stating it. Maybe re-express it with some imagery. Find a way to describe the jealosy this person is feeling. emotions hidden undercover learned to stamp on kick and smother kept the ashes can't be found out of sight gone to ground Okay this section has some potential. I like where you are going with it however I would rather you used something as a metaphor for the emotions instead of just calling them out again. Hidden undercover seems a bit redundant as does can't be found and out of sight. I think there's a good idea here that can be brought out more fully. My one comment on the second poem is the reference to coals is a good replacement for emotions. It also gives the stronger idea of the heat of jealosy and the ashes that are the result of pursuing that course. I hope some of that was helpful. Best, Todd

Answer 3

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RE:
* WHaT IS ThE THeME iN THiS PoEM *?
What is the theme in this poem? & why?

Dusting

Each morning I wrote my name
on the dusty cabinet, then crossed
the dining table in scriptm scrawled
in capitals on the back of chairs,
practicing signatures like scales
while Mother followed, squirting
linseed from a burping...

Answer 4

Wow, this is a great poem.

To me and this is an objective answer, I think the author is trying to convey that her "perfect" mother is more concerned with appearances than substance... wiping her name off of everything. Also her mother is trying to make her conform to the way she believes the right way to live is. The daughter, not knowing exactly how to convince her mother that she is her own person, or having a mother who always thinks she is right, is making her own mark on the world by doing what the only thing she thinks will get through to her. The daughter needs attention, and probably some support but the mother focused on perfection, is superficial, and unwilling to give it.

Answer 5

Wow. Lots of lazy students on YA tonight.
The theme is: Maximum Laziness

Answer 6

Dusting By Julia Alvarez

Answer 7

Conformity and anonymity and its relation to the free-spirit. I don't usually analyse poetry so I'll leave the best answers to the experts but that's what I think about it. Because the character created by the author seems like a free-spirited child rebelling in the face of a model of conformity (her/his mother).

Answer 8

I hope Mom didn't use linseed oil on the mirror. most of the imagry illustrates Mom reflecting overwhelmingly and not letting the light reach the her child.

Answer 9

Defiance

Answer 10

The poet wants recognition, to somehow leave her mark on the world unlike her mother who is content to erase the traces of human presence, she wants to be seen and to be remembered not anonymous like her mother.