The Structure Of Marge Piercy's A Work Of Artifice

In the poem of “A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy, the author illustrates the relationship between a bonsai tree and its gardener. The bonsai tree signifies women and their nature while the gardener represents men. The narrative structure of poem relays the perspective of the speaker, how he perceives women as mere illiterate beings. Employing an oppressive diction and descriptive imagery, the speaker reinforces the idea that he regards himself superior to the tree, believing that the tree should fit into mold that would deem it acceptable in his eyes.

The speaker’s lines consist of chopped sentences. With the lines being broken down into diminutive parts, it seems as if it is being read or given to someone incapable of reading lengthy sentences. For example, the first line is composed of “the bonsai tree.” Three words create the entire line and there are several more instances where that is also seen, such as in lines six, seven, ten, thirteen, sixteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-two, and twenty-three. Ten out of twenty-three lines are made up of only three letter words, which approximates to just above forty percent. It efficiently indicates that the speaker greatly believes that women are incapable of grasping sentences composed of more than three words. Because of the way the lines are presented, the image of an adult and a child surfaces. Between the two of them, the speaker asserts himself as the intelligent one while the woman is merely a child in need of help