Comparison of Marge Piercy and Kate Chopin articles on Women's Oppression - Essay Example

Comparison of Marge Piercy and Kate Chopin articles on womens oppression The poem “A Work of Artifice” by MargePiercy and The Story of the hour by Kate Chopin relate the same idea of womens oppression but at different levels of literary use. They focus on the role of men in the womens oppression and other gender related issues in society. The poem by Piercy presents the issue in a different perspective by use of metaphor. Womens oppression in the society by the males is by both authors clearly and with elaborate precision.

The work by Piercy presents the womens oppression by use of symbolism. The woman in the context is as the Bonsai tree which is and not allowed to grow and attain maximum height. The desired height of the tree by the gardener is nine inches, which represent absolute oppression when elaborated by the tree height (Ranck 56). The height of the tree is a metaphor to represent the nature and the level of oppression meted at the women by male world. Despite limiting the growth of the woman, the gardener reasons in the concluding instance of the story, that the woman is lucky to have him because he considers the woman as domestic and weak (Ranck Line 14).

Compared to A story of the hour by Kate Chopin, the poem represents oppression using absolute symbolism, but both stories elaborate the role of men in the oppression and struggle for liberation (Ranck 56). The failure in womens liberation is by the trust and love they profess to have. The difference between the poem and the story is based on the actions taken by women in the story. In both cases, they do not take any action to overcome the situation. The Kate Chopin story reveals oppression using a marriage setup.

The marriage of Louise Mallard to Brently and perceived death of Brently is the focus of the story. The perceived death in a rail accident helps to build the womens oppression. In the story, after learning of the death, Louise uses the word “free” to illustrate the oppression in her marriage (Chopin 78). The return of Brently creates happiness and enthusiasm leading to heart attack and death of Louise. The unfolding of events in the story illustrates the inability to break the oppression.

It also reveals that the situation is permanent by using the return of the Husband. The major difference of both articles is on the role of women in the liberation. In the story by Chopin, the woman can fantasize of freedom while the poem the story is different because the tree has no choice (Chopin 78). In conclusion, womens oppression and need for liberation are the two issues addressed by both articles. However, the major problem of the whole situation is the perceived love of the male dominance.

In the case of Louise, the realization that the husband is alive leads to grave consequences. The happiness of his return leads to heart attack leading to death (Chopin 98). The Bonsai tree in the poem is trimmed because the gardener believes that he loves the tree and wants the best out of it. Both stories borrow the concept of love to justify the inactivity of women in the liberation struggle. Louise and the tree live in fantasy while the truth remains that they are under oppression. Works Cited Chopin, Kate.

The Story of an Hour. London: Perfection Learning, 2000 . Ranck, Shirley Ann. Cakes for the Queen of Heaven: An Exploration of Womens Power Past, Present And Future. New York: iUniverse, 2006.