Marks by Linda Pastan - Term Paper Example

A Literary Analysis of "Marks" by Linda Pastan In her attempt to share a moment's emotional upheaval regarding an aspect of her major life role that appears strained by domestic struggle and fed up to the last ounce of hope in pleasing her family, Linda Pastan occurs to have chiefly stripped off the figurative approach in substantiating the poetry with literal sensitivity of the theme. 'Marks' to a reader would seem highly straightforward and emphatic in its subject as the poet somehow renders it void of typical poetic elements to bring about the essentials of acquiring a sense of profound critique within a brief span of biographical glimpse.

The poem's direct emancipation of grief targets an aim for the audience to explore on pondering the kind of modern society and prevailing culture that shapes behavior of people toward the worth of domestically confined women in familial relationship. Though L. Pastan did not find it necessary to elaborate on concrete instances, it is quite obvious how the poet prefers for sentiments to flow in a tone of sadness and anguish through a compact sum of reaction to her story rather created by lashes or painful marks of lowering confidence with family connections.

Her thoughts in 'Marks' turn out to be either a frequent inevitable soliloquy or one supposed to have been placed in a setting with a friend or special person with whom to confide at depth. As common people do, when poignant circumstances in a person's life tend to be cumulative or overwhelming, in a way they require pouring out so that in this manner, the rest of the significant biographical portion achieves a colorful presentation or the desired effect of authenticity. By enumerating memorably critical ways of being treated as a housewife and a mother, Linda recollects a defining stage of a domestic struggle that looks after children who have been tied up to coping with studies along with other activities that altogether forms the crisis of indifference.

These children as well as the working husband, on spending most of their time outside of the residence, become gradually alienated to the affectionate concerns of the woman who ultimately serves their personal needs. Without necessitating to be informative as such, the author persuades a reader by directing to consider a scale of hardships as she lists her varying worth in a grading system established by her husband, son, and daughter whose evaluation has constantly revealed unsatisfactory results.

As opposed to the situation of her kids or students who generally attain grades that could remarkably measure up with the level of effort given, hers depicts an equivalent hardworking character yet one that remains unfulfilled. Besides the issue of not yielding to appropriate treatment or recognition for the crucial functions played as mother and wife, the poem seeks to call for an alleviation from the woman's class of economy. While implicitly tapping to address the level of rationality with respect to the class, 'Marks' has a way of enabling the reader to both empathize with the subject and reflect upon the present culture and reality that makes it possible.

In the modern age, there emerges an inclination to assume by experience that an individual can always opt for freedom from psychological and emotional oppressions if the person were to shift paradigm or improve in the way of thinking beyond clutches of tradition or domiciliary submission (Delahoyde). On concluding the poem with 'Wait 'til they learn I'm dropping out' signifies a positive threat of empowerment or breaking off from the routine not of the typical chores, but of the undesired views attached to the main character's well-being.

In effect, Linda equivalently suggests that frustrations encountered by women with their families may find resolution if they take the courage to at least lessen emotional attachments and step out of the normal bounds to be radically changed. Once this is done, a more flexible attitude follows to obtain a wider acceptance of the external truth that affects every member of the family so that maternal instincts and priorities may be adjusted to a degree of understanding far from remorse. Work Cited Delahoyde, Michael.

“Marxist Criticism.” 2011. http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/marxist.crit.html. 28 Mar 2011.