Tiara By Mark Doty - Essay Example

Tiara by Mark Doty In the world today, it is essential for all people within it to embrace diversity within society because this is the only way through which individuals can be able to effectively bring discrimination and stereotypes that are currently causing rifts. In relation to this, the poem Tiara by Mark Doty is a necessary read because it allows the reader to learn more concerning the world of gay people as well as the problems that they share in common with other individuals. Through this understanding, it becomes possible to develop a better perspective of homosexuals and this in a positive manner because the poem allows individuals to realize that gay people are not so different from the rest of society and that they should be accepted for who they are rather than for who they should be. The poem talks about Peter, a gay man who loves to cross dress as well as to indulge in promiscuous activities that bring about his contracting AIDS. The circumstances of his life, especially in the first few lines show that despite having had a fun life, he eventually died painfully and this was mainly because he could no longer able to enjoy the life that he was used to. The first line states that “Peter died in a paper tiara” and this helps to show that he was a man who preferred to dress as a woman and was viewed as different in society (line 1). This is especially the case in society that still has elements of homophobia where individuals whose sexual orientation strays beyond the traditional one is considered to be against the natural order (Kimmel and Mahler 1439). Peter’s love to cross-dress, in line with my belief in diversity, can be considered to have been his means of expressing himself and this in a manner that was designed to show that despite his actions, he was not harming anyone in society and that what he was did was for his own happiness. The poem shifts to Peter’s funeral after his death and it reveals the feelings of those who attended it. For the most part, the people who attend the funeral are individuals who are accepting of Peter and his way of life and instead of mourning his passing, they seem to be celebrating his life through making jokes at his expense. Someone makes a joke that “the casket closed because/ he was in there in a big wig/ and heels” and this joke breaks the tension that was there at the funeral (lines 10 - 12). The ability of his friends to laugh allows the reader to realize that Peter was a man beloved by many and that was despite his having been of a different sexual orientation. Furthermore, the attendees’ making jokes make possible the discovery that despite his being dead, Peter is still remembered fondly and that he had a significant impact on their lives. The tension that seems to be present at the funeral can be said to reflect the real world where gay people are still looked upon as being different and as a result, there are often awkward moments when people in the rest of society interact with the. Therefore, the jokes that serve to break the tension at Peter’s funeral are highly symbolic of how acceptance can help in bringing about normalcy in society through diversity. There are also voices of intolerance at the funeral with some individuals stating that “he asked for it”, implying that Peter’s punishment for living a promiscuous life was his dying with AIDS (line 16). This line shows the intolerance that is still rampant in modern society where individuals who seem to live differently and those who have AIDS come to be discriminated against by their fellows (Mugavero 156). The rejection that these individuals experience is what makes them end up taking on destructive tendencies such as alcohol abuse as a means of driving away the depression that comes to plague them. In Peter’s case, despite having died of AIDS, he seems to have been a man who chose to live his life in his own terms and did not allow individuals in the rest of society to dictate to him how to live it. The descriptions of his sexual encounters with other men especially from lines 22 – 25 where it is stated that “it almost didnt matter who/ though they were beautiful/ stampeding into him in the simple/ ravishing music of their hurry” shows that he was an extremely promiscuous man. That he ended up contracting AIDS as a result is a testament of the level of promiscuity in which he indulged because he ended up not using protection during his sexual encounters. Later in the poem, Doty seems to be saying that individuals cannot really enjoy their lives if they keep playing it safe whenever they encounter any risky scenario. The descriptions of how Peter lives a highly promiscuous life while also indulging heavily in alcohol is used to show that when all is done, even those who have lived safely end up dead anyway. The statement that “Sometimes we wake not knowing/ how we came to lie here/ or who has crowned us with these temporary/ precious stones” seems to show that life is a temporary thing whose end is not always known to those who are alive (33 – 36). This statement shows that despite the need to live safely, it is not alright to let the gift of life go unspent. The poem seems to be saying that the ability of individuals to enjoy it is the true meaning of life and that it should be enjoyed in such a manner that one feels as if there is no tomorrow because life might come to an end abruptly. The ability of individuals to enjoy life is its true meaning and it is implied that despite his painful end, this is what Peter had aimed for all along; to get the joy out of life as much as possible because he knew that no matter what he did, he would end up dead eventually. At the end of the poem, Doty comes to address sex and the desire that many individuals from different orientations have for it yet restrict themselves because they would like to live safely. Through the statement “what could he do/ what could any of us ever do/ but ask for it” Doty seems to be attempting to show that Peter decided to succumb to his desires as a means of ensuring that he attained fulfilment out of life since it allowed him to receive his desires to the fullest (lines 43 – 45). These lines attempt to make individuals realize that despite the serious of life around them, there is still a part of it that they do not allow themselves to experience, and that is indulging in sexual intercourse as a means of ensuring that they are completely fulfilled. In conclusion, the poem ‘Tiara’ addresses the different aspects of life such as diversity and discrimination and this in such a way that the reader comes to realize the futility of restricting himself to what the mainstream thinks. It allows for the reader to open his eyes to the realities of the world around him as well as the fact that diversity is good, rather than detrimental to it. Finally, the poem shows that despite individuals holding onto feelings such as homophobia and discrimination against those infected by HIV, it is essential to note that these feelings are the ones that make people lose their humanity and sense of empathy toward one another. Works Cited Doty, Mark. “Tiara”. Leewind. April 8, 2008. Web. 22 Jan. 2015 Kimmel, Michael S. and Mahler, Matthew. “Adolescent Masculinity, Homophobia, and Violence: Random School Shootings, 1982–2001.” Am Behav Sci, 46.10 (2003): 1439–58. Mugavero, Michael. J. "Improving engagement in HIV care: What can we do?" Top HIV Med, 16.5 (2008): 156–161. Read More