F08250_mcurry

//Michele Curry//
 * Marks by Linda Pastan (1978)**

Marks

My husband gives me an A for last night's supper, an incomplete for my ironing, a B plus in bed. 5 My son says I am average, an average mother, but if I put my mind to it I could improve. My daughter believes 10 in Pass/Fail and tells me I pass. Wait 'til they learn I'm dropping out.

As a married mother of two, my initial impression of this poem is that it's written by a mother and wife who's tired to feeling inadequate and unappreciated. I'm wondering if Dr. Chick is prophetic. The speaker of the poem begins by stating the grades and summation of the verbal praises she's been dealt as a wife and mother. Not that an 'A' is bad at all, or even a 'B' for that matter (1 & 4), but when one's life (who we are as individuals) becomes graded in any way, we face the pressure and fatigue that comes with wanting to be accepted or just loved for who we are. Clearly, this woman's family doesn't tell her she's miserable and worthless. But, the tone of the poem gives me the impression she's not happy with the value that's been placed on her. She takes this seriously. Again, as a mother and wife, I can sympathize with every line in the poem as if they've been spoken to me (they probably have in a manner very close to these!), and I can relate to it in every way possible. The sarcasm, the humor, even the very last line "I'm dropping out," has crossed every woman's mind (12). Only in this poem, it creates wonder and questions left unanswered. I read the poem and smiled, wondering if I might have written the poem in my sleep last night. It's the typical stay at home mom and even a mother who works outside of the home. When I read the last line I thought "Is she serious?" and "What on earth is she going to do?!" I wonder if she's serious, how she'll tell her family, or if there is any underlying problem with her husband or life that she can't deal with. I think I went into psychologist mode and wanted to hear more and to really figure the speaker out. The poem leaves me hanging and hoping for a family that appears average, yet with a mother who's troubled inside.
 * Way 1: First Impressions**

While engaging with the text, I find the sounds allow for quick and easy reading. The assonance used by Pastan ties particluar lines and thougths together well. Beginning with the first two lines "My husband gives me an A/ for last night's supper," (1 & 2) the "a" sounds in the words husband, an, A, and last gives the tongue a smooth read and then the third line "an incomplete for ironing" (3) is more cutting as the words incomplete and ironing (assonance) are not necessarily liked by wives and mothers (as I'm assuming the speaker must be). The fourth line has alliteration as "a B plus in bed," (4) which quickly states the woman's perception or the truth to her husband's grading policy and expectations. The lines are spoken in a matter of fact tone. After reading only the first line "My husband gives me an A," (1) the reader might think kindly of the husband and wife, and of their relationship in general. But the next line explains the first as the "A" mark is only given to "last night's supper," (2) which may or may not have been the usual mark for this woman's dinners. When stating her son's judgements on her mothering skills, the speaker states "My son says I am average/ an average mother" (5 & 6). The point of using the word "average" twice is obviously intended to repeat the insult of the word. "Average" according the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, means "not out of the ordinary." We know there are many mothers in this world, but hearing the people who we devote our lives to say "you're not out of the ordinary" or "you're average," reduces the importance of an entire life to little meaning or purpose. The daughter's awarding her mother with a pass. The quickness to the lines "My daughter believes/in Pass/Fail and tells me/I pass," (9,10,11) seems to be left at that. The daughter awards her mother with a "pass," but I can't help but sense some irony in the lines about the daughter. Even a "pass" or a good grade on efforts minimizes the efforts put forth. The "pass" doesn't describe the detail, the "A" for one dinner doesn't describe what about the dinner was great or not so great. The "B" in bed doesn't explain the actions performed or reason for this woman's marks. They grades are simple, matter of fact, and nothing like the real, complicated and difficult life of a woman devoting her life to her family. The marks this woman recieves, just because she's being graded in general, are hurtful and condescending to her role as a wife and mother. There's no personal one-on-one relationship being shown with the woman and her husband or her children. Her duties and general mothering are being nit-picked by those she lives to please. If she wasn't trying to please them, she wouldn't be making dinner, ironing, or asking for their opinions in terms of grades or appreciation. The last sentence leaves the reader wondering what's going to come out of this family's inappreciation. "Wait 'til they learn/I'm dropping out," (11,12) finalizes the poem, but it can't possibly finalize a real life scenario like this one. The words "dropping out" (12) used by the speaker imply that she's able to stop doing what she was doing. Dropping out of a class, a recreational league, or something we volunteer to do would be easy to do. Dropping out of the chosen role of wife and/or mother would be extremely difficult to do. Dropping out of a gender role forever would be even more difficulr. A wife or mother who truly wants to "drop out" out of their role, as the speaker does in this poem, probably has an idea about what she's going to do. Take a day off, implying she's not entirely serious about "dropping out" for good. Disappearing from her life as she knows it, never to be heard from again, would be another option. Suicide might be an option. Divorce would be the less drastic than the previous two options, but she would have to give up her role of a mother altogether as well if she's literally going to "drop out." Therefore, the idea that this woman is going to "drop out" of her responsibilities and has not yet informed her family breeds a variety of imaginative scenarios.
 * Way 2: Engaging with the Text**

This poem's form has everything to do with playing into the natural speech of the speaker. The reader can assume she pauses and thinks about each particular line and the reptition involved creates drama within the poem and the speaker's mind and opinion about what she's stating. The sarcasm is obvious because of the random ending, sudden ending. It's not seperated from the rest of the poem, it's not italicized. It's just stated plain and simple as though the speaker's "dropping out" (12) and her statement is about as plain and ordinary as her family's grades are. The dramatic monologue allows the reader into the mind of a woman who lives within her gender role and reacts to her family's perception's of her.
 * Way 3: A Point about Form and its Relationship to Content:**

I'll begin with the first two lines of the poem: "My husband gives me an A/for last night's supper" (1,2). The speaker is given an "A" as a grade. The "A" is a mark given to the speaker and is figuratively a symbol for the level of judgment the husband applies to the wife's duty. Of course, I'm assuming that the husband doesn't literally give her a real "A" whether written on paper or a tangible report card. He doesn't have letters that he randomly gives out to people, in this case his wife, for the duties she performs based on his satisfaction of them. This particular A was given for "last night's supper" (2). The reader can imagine the letter, which represents a job well-done in terms of grade letters. The reader knows that being given an A is not necessarily disappointing, usually it's quite rewarding. The husband could have given her a D or an F and she might be even more disappointed with the grade. However, this A is based only on the dinner she prepared the night before, so perhaps it's rare or maybe she usually recieves an A for her dinners. The connotative meaning of the woman recieveing an A for the dinner she's prepared the night before has more to do with fact that she's recieved a grade at all. Especially on a duty that could be done by anyone but that she's expected to take care of. Not only does she make dinner, she's graded on the effort she puts into the chore. The reader is unsure about whether she asks for the marks or whether they're just offered to her and whether she wants to hear them or not. The point is: the speaker is graded on her wifely duties. In this particular case she's given an A, which means she did well on last night's dinner. After connecting these lines to the rest of the text, particularily the last phrase which states "Wait 'til they learn/I'm dropping out" (11,12) the reader finds that the marks this woman recieves are not valuable to her. They're offensive and inappreciative no matter what the grade. A college student wouldn't drop out of a class that they're passing or recieving good or average grades in. This woman isn't in a college class or any class for that matter, she's being graded on her role in life.
 * Way 4: Unpacking Figurative Language:**

Line four describes the speakers grading from her husband as "a B plus in bed" (4). This symbol of a "B" is usually not excellent and not failing either. It's pretty average and ho-hum. The man doesn't provide an explanation on her exact habits and methods in bed, he only labels her overall effort. He can't literally give her "a B plus in bed" as an object or tangible gift, he can only put all of her deeds and motivations into one letter....a B plus! In its connotative meaning, the B plus applies to the sexual and affectionate pleasure her husband recieves. Nothing about her pleasure is involved, or about what he's giving hto her. It's about what he's recieveing. Likewise, this can be applied to every other line that has to do with this woman //recieving// the marks on her person and never //giving// her own opinion of the other members of her family. Her only opinion comes at the end in the form of the phrase "I'm dropping out" (12).
 * Way 4: Another Unpacking Figurative Language:**

The phrase "I'm dropping out" (12) creates an image of a person falling and/or leaving. In its denotative meaning, this woman would fall or drop or lower down to another level as things do when being dropped. This phrase's connotative meaning implies far more. The term "drop-out" on [|www.merriam-webster.com] means "one who drops out of conventional society." So, this woman doesn't have to completely abandone her husband and children, she may only want to drop out of the roles that are expected of her. This statement comes only from the unfair expectations that have been thrust upon the speaker. The fact that her family values her for her domestic actions and not for the unseen sacrifices she's made create an unhappy woman who doesn't want to be a part of what her life's become.
 * Way 4: Another Unpacking Figurative Language:**

This poem takes place in the present, at a point soon after the speaker's recieved her "marks" from members of her family. The first few lines create a household setting as her husband's marks are based on her household duties. He grades her "last night's supper"(2), "ironing" (3), and then in the bedroom as he gives her a "B plus in bed" (4). The speaker is graded on the duties and performances within the household. The marks she recieves from her children do not necessarily have to do with her housework, as her son gives out the general statement that his mother is an "average mother" (6) and the daughter simply gives her a pass rather than a fail. The setting of the children's marks imply they grade her based on her everyday actions as a mother no matter where she is. The household setting implies that this is where the woman is expected to be. She's taken on a domestic role which is expected of her gender.
 * Way 5: Analyze the Setting-**

This poem takes place in the first person point of view. The speaker is the main character and is the recipient of the "marks" (title) given throughout the poem. The speaker reveals that she is a wife when she states "My husband" (1) and that she is a mother when she says "My son" (5) and "My daughter" (9) The characters in the poem are members of her family and the antagonists whom she reveals as her "graders." She refers to herself in first person but through the eyes of her family members. For example, from her son's point of view she is "average" (5) and through her daughter's point of view she recieves a "pass" (11). The entire poem is based on the opinion of the woman by her husband, son and daughter. Not once does she give an opinion of herself because who she is is wrapped in those three people. She only reveals in the last line that "I'm dropping out" (12) which is the cleary the result of the opinions given by her family.
 * Way 6: Analyze and Identify the Point of View-**

The ambiguity in this text can be found by taking the poem literally or by assuming it's sarcastic and only true to an extent. The title "Marks," meaning grades or the judgement of work can be taken literally when applied to a person's actions. Letters or words symbolize the speaker's actions and duties she performs for her family. The imagery of the letters and words and this woman's recieving of them allows the reader to wonder if she's serious about her motive or only discouraged and if her family is serious as well. To put it simply, this woman's husband and children are judging her. The last line becomes the most ambiguous phrase because the reader is left wondering about the speaker's tone or honesty. The marks the woman recieves are based on her every day duties, ones that almost every mother and wife perform. Is she going to drop out of life? Out of responsibility? Is she going to get divorced and give up the children? Will they change their minds about their grading policy if this is the case?
 * Way 7: Analyzing Complexity, Ambiguity, and Difficulty:**

This poem is highly relatable, especially amongst women. The comparison of being graded as one would be graded in a school is unfair to a woman. Being a wife and mother is not just putting in the time and writing tests and doing assignments, it's a way of life and of defining who a woman is. The grading symbols (letters, pass/fail, average) take a woman's life as less significanat than it really is. This poem doesn't use a wide range of figurative language one needs to study excessively in order to understand. The statements made by the speaker are simplistic, as her family has simplified her life in terms of marks. The poem definitely has a rhythm to it, mostly having to do with stressed and unstressed syllables and a few cases of alliteration, but not enough to warrant deeper study either. Considering the year this poem was written, 1978, maybe we can find more to the poem than meets the eye. Were women joining the workforce in greater numbers? Were they throwing down their aprons and declaring their indepence? I think women's rights have changed significantly since around that time (maybe a little earlier than that) and the "feminine mystique" (term coined with the publishing of the book "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan in 1963) was beginning to create an a new, modern woman. One who had been unappreciated in the home, who felt a calling to become professionals, to become educated and empowered. Perhaps this speaker's final cry "I'm Dropping Out" (12) is the voice of millions of American women who wanted in on what it means to be a modern woman. Brown and Yarbrough state in Chapter 2 that "the best poems keep working on you every time you revisit them" (10) and this one really just stays with me. It doesn't "work" on me, it provides a statement that I can understand and it stirs emotion (probably moreso in women than in men, or in a different aspect for men) that all of humanity can identify with on a very personal level.
 * Way 8: Considering Canonocity:**

Linda Pastan’s biography reveals the truthful and honest approach she uses on her poetry. Her poems reflect her life. In an interview on [|__www.pbs.org__], Pastan explains her life and thus, the depths of the poem “Marks,” and how the two are wholly interconnected. Pastan describes herself as a “product of the 50’s” and she states “I had to have a homemade dessert on the table for my husband every night, and this was when I was in college I was married and then in graduate school. And I felt that I couldn’t be the perfect wife and mother that I was expected to be, and commit myself to something as serious as my poetry, and I wasn’t going to do it half-heartedly. It was all or nothing. And I stopped writing for almost ten years, and I was very unhappy about it during those years” (www.pbs.org). Pastan’s statement indicates the frustration she must have felt while mothering and being a wife. In the poem “Marks,” the children and the husband do not think that the mother is perfect by any means. She’s “average,” (5) according to her son and her husband declares her ironing “incomplete” (3). Since Pastan expresses the desire to be “the perfect wife and mother” in her interview, one can assume that the woman in “Marks” feels the same way because her tone is frustrated and hurt after hearing the marks given by her family. She finds she’s not the perfect wife and mother and, as a result, declares she’s going to be “dropping out” (12).
 * Way 9: Biographical Context:** [[****

Pastan, Linda. “CONVERSATION: PASTAN.” __PBS Entertainment.__ 7 Jul 2003. 21 Nov 2008. www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/pastan_07-07.html


 * Way 10: Historical/Cultural Context:**

In 1963, Betty Friedan’s book //The Feminine Mystique// was published. The website Americawriters.org summarizes the book as “Friedan hypothesized that women are victims of a false belief system that requires them to find identity and meaning in their lives through their husbands and children” (American writers.org). The website describes Friedan’s book as being an “immediate and controversial best-seller” and “rewarded as one of the most influential books of the 20th century” (American writers.org). Whether Linda Pastan read Friedan’s book or not, it is likely she would have agreed with its teachings because her poetry reflects the same philosophies about feminism. An article in New York’s //The Sun// titled “Reconsiderations:Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’” by Christina Hoff Sommers states “Postwar America had taken the ideal of femininity to absurd extremes. Women in the ‘50s were encouraged to be childlike, passive, dependent, and fluffy (Friedan’s word). Popular magazines carried stories with titles such as ‘Do Women Have to Talk So Much?,’ ‘Femininity Begins at Home,’ and ‘Why GI’s Prefer Those German Girls.” (Hoff Sommers). In her interview with Jeffrey Brown on PBS’s Online NewsHour, Pastan herself states that she “was a product of the ‘50s -- what I called the perfectly polished floor syndrome” and that while taking care of her husband and children, she “stopped writing for almost ten years, and I was very unhappy about it during those years” (Pastan Interview). Culture in postwar America was not what it is today. Woman today are encouraged to be independent and to work towards careers //and// family. So, Pastan’s poetry and Friedan’s works are not met with the controversy they may have been met with by women who embraced being at home with their families rather than finding time for themselves. Women were beginning a new feminist movement during the ‘70s when Friedan and Pastan’s works were published and many women could relate at the time. Any wife and mother could relate to these today as well, though culture today tells women that their identity can be found in a number of places or maybe in all places at once, like super-women. While searching for an article on ProQuest GenderWatch, Jane Saunders discusses the book //Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and// Institution by Adrienne Rich. Saunders states “Rich's treatment of the subject of motherhood is anything but narrow. She distinguishes between the experience ("an intense, reciprocal relationship with a particular child, or children...one part of female process...not an Identity for all time") and the institution, a set of imperatives, derived from the system of patriarchy, which are superimposed upon that experience, define and restrict it, and are aimed "at ensuring that (woman's potential for reproduction) -- and all women -- shall remain under male control” (Saunders). This article written during the time when a woman’s worth was usually expected to be within the home and through her family as well. I don’t find anything about Pastan’s “Marks” to be feminist or deliberately against patriarchal systems. But, it conveys a weariness, a giving up of what’s expected due to society’s ideals for women.

American Writers II The 20th Century. “The Feminine Mystique- Betty Friedan.” 2008. National Cable Satellite Corporation. Nov 28 2008. [|__www.americanwriters.org__]

Hoff Sommers, Christina. “Reconsiderations: Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique”. 17 Sept 2008. New York //The Sun.// 28 Nov 2008. [|__www.nysun.com/arts/reconsiderations-betty-friedans-the-feminine/86003/__]

Pastan. Linda. Conversation: Pastan. Online NewsHour. 7 Jul 2003. PBS Online. 25 Nov 2008. [|__www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/pastan_07-07.html__].

Saunders, Jane. “Of Woman Born But Man-Made.” __WomanWise__. Sep 30 1979. Vol 2 Iss 3. P 10. __Proquest Genderwatch__. ProQuest. UW- Fond du Lac Lib. 29 Nov 2008. [|__www.proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.uwc.edu__]


 * Way 11: Theoretical Application: Psychoanalysis-**

One of the simplest forms of critiquing Pastan’s poetry comes from Psychoanalytic criticism. Focusing on the Psychoanalysis of the Author, one could diagnose Pastan with being uncomfortable, angry, and feeling justified in her downfall as woman who’d like to give up. Since her biography confirms that she thought very much the same way as the speaker in this particular poem, the reader may find it difficult to separate Pastan from the narrator due to the verisimilitude of the speaker and Pastan’s thoughts on life as a woman. As our text states “To insist that the literary text transparently has its origins in the author’s neuroses- the way a fever is caused by a virus- is essentially to deny the creative process that allows the author to invent characters, motivations, and dilemmas that have nothing to do with his or her own direct experience” (Brown & Yarbrough 218), is true, but Pastan herself admits to writing from her own experiences and we can then, analyze Pastan as a human being and woman author pretty clearly (in this particular situation and time in her life) with the words in the poem. The frustration in the poem, is Pastan’s own frustration penned creatively and I don’t think she’s trying to create a character unlike herself. We can not conclude that this poem, word for word, describes what Pastan felt at one time, but if we study her biography and where this poem fits into it, the psychoanalysis of her character and emotional state come fairly close to what this poem reveals. Along with the analysis of the author of this poem, we can psychoanalyze the reader of it. One can assume that women would be the primary readers of this poem, or that it would affect women on many levels. Brown and Yarbrough state that “reading fulfills a vital psychological function for us, allowing us to work through our own unresolved psychological needs. Like a dream or a daydream, a text allows us to contemplate the unthinkable- our own repressed issues and anxieties- from a safe distance” (219). Women who read “Marks” by Linda Pastan can relate to being unappreciated by their husbands and children. The final line “I’m Dropping Out” (12) pushes the reader to really think, to imagine what life might be if we could quit, if we could go back on our promises and responsibilities. Women who feel discontent, or even those who excel and revel in their experiences as wife and mother, can use this poem to deal with the psychological issues that come from the experiences of womanhood.

Brown, John S., and Scott D. Yarbrough. __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study.__ Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2005

Feminism, the way most of us think about it, has to do with man hating and all things against domesticity. But that's not the case at all when we use educational and sophisticated resources in studying Feminism. During Pastan's time of publishing her works and while she was at home caring for her family, women were fighting for their rights in the workplace, in the home, and in politics. It was not uncommon for women to feel trapped and stifled by patriarchical powers. Brown and Yarbrough's words say it perfectly "feminism embodies a way of reading that investigates the text's investment in or reaction to the patriarchal power structures that have dominated Western culture" (226). Well, Pastan's "Marks" is a speaker who is reacting to the structure of family that was and still is considered the ideal in a patriarchical society. Women staying home and giving her life to her family no matter what she wants and desires outside of the home, to please her husband and children. In the case of "Marks," the husband and children are not thoroughly impressed with the woman who's given them her life, and they don't realize, as she does, that she's sacrificed and become somebody she doesn't necessarily want to be. We can ask of the poem "Marks," why Pastan chose to use words like "supper" (2) which the speaker has prepared, "ironing" (3) which the speaker does, and "bed" which the speaker is also graded on. These chores were and still are considered a woman's work, or gender roles. Pastan makes clear that this woman has submitted to these gender roles and admits frustration with them, whether it's because her family doesn't think she does them perfectly or just because she does not want to conform to the strict, unfulfilling roles of her gender. Pastan's inclusion in the canon is also an incredible feat for women during her time in our society and culture. Today, women may take for granted the publishing and appreciating of their work being taken seriously and considered for literary study. There was a time when Pastan's "Marks" would have been considered an outrage amongst men. The speaker would have been considered terribly rebellious and probably not marriage material at all! Women were gaining educations, political roles, and working outside of the home during and after the war, so women could find solitude and understanding in her poem. The final line in the poem "I'm dropping out" (12) describes the most critical emotion in this poem and in feminine criticism, this woman is fed up with being undermined in her gender role. Her worth, her "marks" in this role she was given not because she chose to be born a woman, is degraded and unappreciated and she feels and says that she's done with it.
 * Way 12: Another Theoretical Appliction: Feminist Criticism-**

Brown, John S., and Scott D. Yarbrough. __A Practical Introduction to Literary Study.__ Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2005

Linda Pastan's Poem "Marks" displays the most simplistic opinions of a woman's family and how they provide the woman with their thoughts on her duties and obligations. The woman states what she's been told in a dramatic dialogue so that we understand her irony and the reader can relate to her inner thoughts. . Her husband gives her an "A" (1), and "incomplete" (3), and a "B plus" (4) while grading her on three different tasks. The son gives her an "average" (5) but states that she "could improve" (8) and the daughter simply states that her mother will pass (11) because the daughter believes in Pass/Fail (10) and surely the mother does not fail. She doesn't fail in any other their eyes, but the fact that this mother is recieving "Marks" as the poem is titled, is enought to create a poem of frustration in the life of a woman in the '70s. A woman who takes care of her family by taking on all of the domestic duties and is troubled with her husband and children's nerve to grade her. As I've studied the biography of Linda Pastan and the cultural context of the poem, I have a wider vision of the poem. The simplicity of it almost spreads and layers itself onto the culture women faced in society at the time, and they still do. Women who stay at home full time or who give every part of their life to their family often feel like they're missing out on something else. Whether it be education, independance, authority, political or occupational roles, a woman who's found herself in the stereotypical gender role is often unappreciated. This poem suggests gender inequality. The woman begins with "marks" from her husband. This poem could not possibly be written from a man's point of view, especially since it was published in 1978. Instead, the man probably works outside of the home and expects his wife to take care of the home and his belongings. The woman does so, she prepares meals, irons, and cares for her family and the poem does not include one act that the woman performs for herself, to improve her own self. Today, individuality is crucial to American society. Women aim to succeed on many fronts. In the workplace, politics and at home. Men are expected to do more in the home so that maybe women won't feel like the speaker in this poem. However, I don't believe we're any where near gender equality. Women are simply expected to do even more inside //and// outside of the home. With the knowledge of Pastan's biography and our cultural ideals, this poem enlightens the reader to the narrowing down of the issues of feminism and gender roles in one woman's dramatic monologue.
 * Way 13: Unifying Interpretation:**