Summary Of Linda Pastan's 'Marks' By Linda Pastan

Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State once said, “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” Women have come a long way in today 's world, overcoming many obstacles and stereotypes pushed against them. Linda Pastan uses her poem, Marks, to paint a picture of life as a stay at home mother, using serious sarcasm to touch on a continuous issue. Marks was written during the second wave of feminism in 1978. This was a time where mothers and wives struggled and wanted more than the common domestic experience, more than simply obeying a man because he is just that; a man. Pastan uses tone, point of view, and metaphors to challenge the traditional role of women in the household

It is told from her point of view. The speaker is a housewife who is fed up. During this time, her point of view can easily be associated with the idea of feminism. The poet choses to write in her own point of view because it makes relating to ideas of feminism much easier. If the poem was written during the same time, by her husband it would have a much different feel. Changing the point of view in a poem like Marks would change the whole perspective of the whole situation Pastan addresses. As the poem is written in Pastan’s point of view, the reader may assume that she is average or that she is just very hard on herself. “...If I put my mind to it, I can improve” suggests that she can improve in her job as a mother because that is how she feels her children think about her. She does this in a way that makes it undoubtedly understandable and relatable to the reader. Although her choice of words and metaphors show sarcasm, it 's

Linda Pastan uses her poem Marks to emphasize on how easily it is to judge someone for what they lack instead of what they contribute. Like many other mothers and wives in the 24th century, I sympathize with her. It is easy to feel unappreciated in these roles, simply because in reality, those roles come with expectations and standards put on them from society. It 's our history as women, it 's what we are expected to do, and we are expected to do it well. Take care of your husband, take care of your children and take care of your household; that is the job women were given and although times have changed; that stereotype still remains. Similar to Madeleine Albright and many women who struggle with finding their place above stereotypes, Pastan ends her poem speaking up for herself and finally showing the reader her