Title-SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE POEM - A WORK OF ARTIFICE.

 

           English 2 Assignment

Title-SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE POEM - A WORK OF ARTIFICE. 

1. Introduction 
2. About the Poet  
3. Major Works of the Poet 
4. Summary of the Poem 
5. Critical Analysis of the Poem 
6. Conclusion 
7. Reference 

INTRODUCTION

                              Written by American poet and novelist Marge Piercy, “A Work of Artifice” was published in her 1999 collection The Art of Blessing the Day: Poems with a Jewish Theme. The poem is an example of Piercy’s early work as it was composed in 1970. Written in unmetered free verse, the 24-line poem is an allegory about the subjugation of women. Piercy uses the relationship between a gardener and a bonsai tree to explore how patriarchy stunts women, keeping them from realizing their full potential. Composed at the height of the second-wave feminist movement, the descriptive, evocative poem alludes to the philosophy’s concerns about artificial beauty ideals and the restrictive nature of domesticity.

ABOUT THE POET

Marge Piercy was born in the aftermath of the Great Depression in 1936 in Detroit, Michigan. In the early years of Piercy’s life, her father Robert Douglas Piercy struggled to find work in the depressed economy. He finally got a job installing and repairing machinery with Westinghouse and the family moved into a working-class, racially diverse neighborhood in Detroit. In interviews, Piercy said that as her family practiced her mother Bert Bernice’s Jewish faith, Piercy did not feel accepted by middle-class White folk. It was Bernice who gave Piercy her Hebrew name, Marah.

A prolific writer, Piercy published more than 17 collections of poems, 15 novels, a play, and several works of nonfiction. Piercy is the rare writer whose poetry and fiction are equally well-regarded. Her 1976 novel Woman on the Edge of Time is considered a landmark of feminist dystopian science fiction and is often considered the first work of cyberpunk (dystopian works that imagine a high-tech future). He, She, and It, another feminist cyberpunk novel published in 1991, won the Arthur C. Clarke award for Best Science Fiction.

 

Like her fiction, Piercy’s poems are feminist and egalitarian. Piercy’s major poetry collections include The Moon is Always Female (1980), Circles on the Water (1982), What Are Big Girls Made of (1997), The Art of Blessing the Day (1999), and On the Way Out, Turn Off the Light (2020).

 

Apart from being a writer, Piercy is a well-known political activist. Her interest in feminism and social equality stems from her working-class background and experience of growing up as a woman in a restrictive 1940s and 1950s America.

 

 

MAJOR WORKS OF THE POET

      1.  Woman on the edge of time

2.    The moon is always female: poems

 

3.    He, She and It

 

4.    Gone to soldiers

 

5.    Circles on the water :selected poems

 

SUMMARY OF THE POEM

                                              The poem is narrated in a straightforward manner by an unknown speaker. The speaker describes the relationship between a gardener and a bonsai tree growing in a beautiful pot. Bonsai, a globally popular Japanese gardening technique, involves miniaturizing trees so they can be grown in a pot. It is considered a form of art.

                                The speaker begins by speculating that in the natural course of things, the bonsai tree would have grows "eighty feet tall" (Line 3) on a mountainside and only cut back if it was "split by lightning" (Line 5). It was saved from this fate by the gardener who grew it indoors and “carefully pruned” (Line 7) it. The speaker refers to the gardener as “he,” (Line 9) indicating the gender. The tree is now nine inches tall, thanks to the care of the gardener. He gently sings to the tree every day as he pares back its branches.

                                 At this point, the narrator imagines the gardener talking to the tree as he attends to it. Referring to the bonsai tree as “you,” the gardener sings that it is the tree’s nature to be small and helpless. Therefore, the little tree is fortunate to have a supporting, safe pot in which it can grow.

                                In Lines 17-22, the speaker zooms out of the gardener’s point of view and resumes their own narration. According to the speaker, one must start early “to dwarf their growth” (Line 19), as in the case of the bonsai tree. The speaker offers examples of such training, such as binding the feet, which refers to the pre-20th century Chinese beauty practice of binding the feet of women from childhood, so the feet remained tiny and delicate-looking. Often the feet bones were broken to keep the feet from growing too big. Further, the brains of living beings being trained for a specific purpose must be “crippled” (Line 21), or they must be brainwashed. The speaker notes the curling of hair, which refers to beautification. These examples of dwarfing living things involve artificial beauty standards imposed on women.

                                                                     In the last two lines, Lines 23-24, the narrative voice shifts from the third person to the second person, with the speaker directly addressing the gardener or the reader. The speaker tells the reader the hands of the stunted living creatures must be kept very soft, because these are the hands “you” (Line 24) love touching.

 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

                              A Work of Artifice" by Marge Piercy is a poignant and thought-provoking poem that highlights the poet's opinion regarding the need for women to liberate themselves from the confines of gender stereotypes prevalent in society. Through vivid imagery and metaphorical language, Piercy presents a powerful critique of the societal expectations imposed upon women.

                              The poem revolves around the metaphor of the bonsai tree, a symbol of confinement and control. The speaker describes how the bonsai tree is shaped and manipulated to fit the expectations and desires of its caretaker. This parallels the way women have been molded and constrained by societal norms and expectations. The bonsai tree represents the limited roles and expectations assigned to women, emphasizing their suppression and lack of autonomy.

                                    Piercy's critique becomes more apparent as the poem progresses. The speaker questions why the bonsai tree is deprived of natural growth and made to conform to human desires. This reflects the poet's belief that women too have been denied their natural potential, forced to conform to prescribed gender roles that restrict their individuality and autonomy. The use of the word "bonsai" as a verb in the line "She is training her body" further reinforces the idea of women being trained and controlled.

                                   The poet's opinion is evident in the closing lines of the poem: "A woman should have wings." This powerful statement asserts the need for women to break free from societal constraints and soar beyond prescribed roles. It signifies the poet's belief that women possess immense potential and should not be confined to predetermined molds. The reference to wings suggests the capacity for freedom, independence, and self-discovery.

                                  Through "A Work of Artifice," Piercy challenges the ingrained gender stereotypes that have oppressed women throughout history. The poem calls for a reimagining of societal expectations, encouraging women to assert their individuality and reject limitations imposed upon them. Piercy's use of imagery, metaphor, and concise language effectively conveys her critique, leaving readers with a lasting impression of the need for change.

                                  In conclusion, "A Work of Artifice" serves as a poignant call to action, urging women to break away from the shackles of gender stereotypes. Marge Piercy's critique resonates strongly, highlighting the importance of empowering women to embrace their true potential and live authentically, free from the constraints of societal expectations.

 

CONCLUSION

                             In the poem  "A Work of Artifice, " Marge Piercy, illustrates the oppression of women through the vivid imagery of the bonsai tree, and the trickery and coaxing of the gardener. With her use of words and their meanings Marge Piercy is able to slowly unfold a seemingly innocent poem into more complex statement.

Reference 

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