Poem Analysis

  The poem, "Dream of Fair Women", by Ann Hayes is very simple, but shows the misconceptions fantasy can give a woman. The author uses the structure of the poem and allusions to show this theme and the harmonious tone of the poem. This poem was constructed using four tercets. The rhyme scheme is aaa-bbb-ccc-ddd. The structure of the poem causes it to transition well and makes it easy to read. Each tercet has a different subject, but they all help develop the theme which is the difference between fantasy and reality. The simple rhyming structure also helps identify a calm, peaceful tone. Another literary device used in the poem is allusion. The first tercet alludes to the story of Adam and Eve, "The lady gave her trust, an apple fell." The second stanza refers to the Virgin Mary, "Upon a maiden mother, one alone." The third stanza involved the two subjects of the previous stanzas and how they believed in life after death and the goodness of men, "O dream of men Believing life is good or might have been and that we may live again!" In these first three stanzas, the author is commenting on the stereotypes of women. However in the last stanza, the author alludes to the princess Sleeping Beauty who, as the story goes, is sleeping until her true love comes to wake her. In the poem the author has "sleeping beauty" awake from this fantasy and go into the real world were she can take care of herself and make her own path. I found this poem interesting because when I was growing up I never went to church or really got involved with religious stories, like Adam and Eve. However I did grow up watching all the princess movies and films similar to it. They both have stereotypes of women though, for example that women should stay at home and depend on a man to support them. So although I am familiar with one more than the other, stories from the bible and princess fairy tales have some similarities.

  The poem "Siren Song", by Margaret Atwood caught my attention because she is also the author of "The Maidens Tale." The poem is about one of the sirens and their song. A siren, in Greek mythology, is a bird with a woman's head that lures sailors to their death. Throughout the poem Atwood alludes to the fact that the speaker is in fact one of the sirens. The sixth stanza gives the major clue, "with these two feathery maniacs, I don't enjoy singing this trio, fatal and valuable." The humorous and deceptive tone helps identify the speakers intentions. At the end of the poem, it is revealed that the whole poem was actually the sirens song. The author also uses enjambment to imitate the persuasive and soothing effect of the sirens song. Because the sentences begin and start in the middle of the line, it causes the read to continue to read without pauses, kind of like the song is pulling you in and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Not only was I interested in this poem because it was by Margaret Atwood, I also liked it because of the humor and the cleverness of the poem.