Paper
” I thought you were my victory /though you cut me like a knife”
(Stevenson 1-2)
The opening lines of Anne Stevenson’s poem The Victory set a tone
of conflict. This poem, at its surface, expresses a mother’s thoughts
on giving birth to a son. Stevenson describes the mixed feelings many
mothers have upon the delivery of their first born. The final release
from pregnancy and birthing pains, coupled with the excitement of
bringing a live creature into this world, at first seem a victory to
the new parent. The author goes on to confute the event as a victory.
Using words such as “antagonist” (5), “bruise” (6), and “scary”(13),
she shows the darker side of childbirth. The mother has felt her own
life’s blood flowing that a stranger might live “The stains of your
glory bled from my veins.” (6-8). That she sees her own child as a
stranger is evident in lines nine and ten, where the child is
described as a “blind thing” (9) with “blank insect eyes”(10). The
mother portrays her baby as a bug, not even human. In the last section
of the poem, two questions are asked, attesting to the mother’s
internal conflict. “Why do I have to love you?/ How have you won?”
(15-16). These unanswerable queries are some of the fundamental
questions of our human existence.
Below the topmost layer of meaning in The Victory, is an
underlying theme that any parent or guardian will easily relate to.
Children are born out of the great pain their mothers endure. They are
helpless in one sense, yet they command the care of their parents.
Stevenson describes the intrinsic helplessness of infants with the
words “Blind”(9) and “Hungry”(14). Yet, this poem does not refer to
new born babes alone. Birthing pains do not cease with the delivery of
a child. The conflict described in this poem is felt by parents of
adult children as well. All parents give of their lifeblood, at least
in the emotional sense, in raising and maintaining their offspring.
The Victory is a poem written as if by a mother only just delivered of
a new born son, yet the themes expressed in its lines apply to all the
stages of human life. Stevenson seems to stress the pain that is felt
when one life brings forth another, but there are many pains felt by
parents in ways unphysical. “You barb the air. /You sting with bladed
cries” (11-12) these are sharp words that bring thoughts of tangible
pain. These words also describe mental and emotional pain that is
felt by many parents who sacrifice much for their children. The poem
does not place a guilt on the baby nor, therefore on children in
general. It seems to acknowledges the turmoil of birth and life as
natural. The child who is born today, collects the sacrifice of its
parents and will make sacrifices for the child born tomorrow. Even
though The Victory is worded to sound resentful, as though the mother
begrudges her child his new found life, it also has a resigned tone.
The mother accepts her lot, however painful.
Even deeper into this poem is the hint of feminism. The author
chose the sex of this baby intentionally. She used two references to a
knife, indicating pain inflicted in a manner unnatural. The knife has
traditionallybeen a man’s weapon. “Tiny antagonist” (9) could refer to
the entire male gender. “Scary knot of desires” (13) is a reference to
the sex act, which is sometimes seen as male aggression. The child is
the manifestation of this act. “Hungry snarl! Small son.” (14) the use
of an animalistic noise directly precedes the revelation of the baby’s
gender. Once again Stevenson’s choice of words reminds one of male
aggression. The woman in the poem seems to feel cheated in bearing a
male child to the man who is indirectly responsible for her condition.
Why does she have to love him? Does that sum up the plight of woman?
Is it Eve’s curse that woman shall embrace man, though in so doing she
must suffer childbirth to bring forth more men? (Or daughters who
shall suffer likewise.) Is that how he has won? The Victory asks us
these questions. They cannot be answered.
341
Другие работы по теме:
I Am Daivd Essay Research Paper I
I Am Daivd Essay, Research Paper I Am David is written by Anne Holm and is about a boy called David. David is a twelve year old boy who has spent his life in a concentration camp. One day a man from the camp helps him to escape. He is told that he must go north until he comes to Denmark. He doesn’t know what life is like outside the camp and is constantly scared in case he gets caught.
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper What do
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper What do you know about Anne Frank? If you don?t know a lot about her I will help you. Anne Frank lived from 1929-1945. She was a young adult who kept an account of everything that went on from 1943-1945 when she was in hiding. Her diary was later published a year after her death, the name of the book was Diary of a Young Girl.
A New Day
– Book Review Essay, Research Paper A New Day written by Margaret Johnson-Hodge was the first book I have read by a female black author. She became serious about writing when she attended a workshop with another writer Brenda Conno-Bey. She lives in the northeastern United States.
Dollarization Essay Research Paper Richard W Stevenson
Dollarization Essay, Research Paper Richard W. Stevenson s article Greenspan View on Wider Use of Dollar discusses a process he refers to as dollarization. According to Mr. Stevenson, A number of countries have been considering abandoning their national currencies and adopting the American dollar the accepted international benchmark of stability as a way of reducing interest rates, inflation, and exchange rate volatility.
Anne Hutchinson Essay Research Paper Andrew D
Anne Hutchinson Essay, Research Paper Andrew D. Dugan Anne Hutchinson Although Anne Hutchinson is historically documented to have been banished as a religious dissenter, the real motive for her persecution was that she challenged the traditional subordinate role of women in Puritan society by expressing her own religious convictions.
Anne Sexton Essay Research Paper ANNE SEXTON
Anne Sexton Essay, Research Paper ANNE SEXTON Her Kind This is a poem that is filled with imagery that the author uses to identify the reader with what I feel were personal stresses in her own life. In class we talked about Anne as an emotionally challenged women who couldn?t cope with every day life. The Title of the poem suggests by saying ?Her? that she is talking about someone else that she could relate to.
Adlai Stevenson Essay Research Paper Adlai Stevenson
Adlai Stevenson Essay, Research Paper Adlai Stevenson once commented, “It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them. ” I have observed this statement to be true in all aspects of life, from common everyday activities
Emily Bronte Essay Research Paper Bronte name
Emily Bronte Essay, Research Paper Bronte, name of three English novelists, also sisters, whose works, transcending Victorian conventions, have become beloved classics. The sisters Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), Emily (Jane) Bronte (1818-1848), and Anne Bronte (1820-1849), and their brother (Patrick) Branwell Bronte (1817-1848), were born in Thornton, Yorkshire.
Bronte Poem Essay Research Paper
‘Night’ (by Anne Bronte) The Bronte sisters had a very agonizing life, which is beautifully portrayed through their poetry. One of the main reasons why their poetry is so effective is because
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper In 1933
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper In 1933, the Nazis began to execute their plan to round up all the Jews within Europe and relocating them into concentration camps. There,
Kidnapped The Classic Essay Research Paper A
Kidnapped The Classic Essay, Research Paper A Classic To Be Read A book that I believe every college student should read is Kidnapped, by Robert Stevenson. This novel has a great amount of dialect throughout, well developed characters and is
Huckelberry And Finn Essay Research Paper Anne
Huckelberry And Finn Essay, Research Paper Anne Sullivan: A Great Teacher A teacher effects eternity (Henry B. Adams). A teacher does many things that affect her students. Even though at the time, the student does not understand the wisdom of the teachings. Anne Sullivan is one of those remarkable teachers.
Ann Frank Essay Research Paper Anne Frank
Ann Frank Essay, Research Paper Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who lived in Amsterdam during the time of the Holocaust. Her life is pretty normal. Her father is a successful buisness man, she has good
The Klan Essay Research Paper The
The Klan Essay, Research Paper * The Klan name and symbol break through the paper curtain of the anti-White media and brings us to the attention of those who want to
Treasure Island Essay Research Paper The highly
Treasure Island Essay, Research Paper The highly acclaimed children’s classic Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a thrilling book that keeps the reader involved from the beginning to the end. Jim Hawkins, who is the main character and narrator, is a young lad who works with his mother at an inn called the ‘Admiral Benbow’.
Anne Stevenson Poem The Victory Essay Research
Paper Anne Stevenson poem The Victory ” I thought you were my victory /though you cut me like a knife” (Stevenson 1-2) the opening lines of Anne Stevenson’s poem The Victory set a tone of conflict. This poem, at its surface, expresses a mother’s thoughts on giving birth to a son. Stevenson describes the mixed feelings many mothers have upon the delivery of their first born.
Christ VICTORY Essay Research Paper Christ VICTORY
Christ: VICTORY!! Essay, Research Paper Christ: VICTORY!! “It is finished!” John 19:30. What Christ is referring to here is the accomplished salvation of the people. What that means is that when we are saved,
Interview With The Vampire Essay Research Paper
This novel, Interview with the Vampire , by Anne Rice, is by far one of the best book I ve ever read. It started with a young boy interviewing a vampire, and the vampire related him the whole story of his life, how he became a vampire, his thrilling adventures through the centuries and his complex relationships with both the mortals and the immortals.
Anne Rice Essay Research Paper Anne RiceAnne
Anne Rice Essay, Research Paper Anne Rice Anne Rice s life experiences and intellectual inquisitiveness provide her with constant inspiration for her writing. She was brought up in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the second of four daughters in her family. She was born Howard Ellen O Brien. Her mother thought that Howard was a suiting name that would bring her good fortune.
Anne Tyler Biography Essay Research Paper Anne
Anne Tyler Biography Essay, Research Paper Anne Tyler American novelist and short-story writer, whose keen ear for dialogue and life-like characters have won critical acclaim. Several of Tyler’s novels focus on loneliness, isolation, human interactions of eccentric middle-class people living in disunited families.
Jane Austen Essay Research Paper Jane AustenJane
Jane Austen Essay, Research Paper Jane Austen Jane Austen was born in 1775 in Stevenson, England. It was there were she started writing her first novel First impressions which was renamed Pride and Prejudice . She wrote it when she was only 14 years old. She and her Father turned it in to the publishers but they rejected it.
Anne Sullivan Macy Essay Research Paper TeacherAnne
Anne Sullivan Macy Essay, Research Paper Teacher Anne Sullivan Macy By: Helen Keller Year of Publication: 1955 Anne Sullivan Macy Anne Sullivan Macy was born on April 4, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. Her parents were poor Irish immigrants. Anne had trouble with her eyes her whole life. When Anne was eight years old her mother died and two years later her father left.
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper Diary of
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper Diary of Anne Frank The story Diary of Anne Frank was a very interesting book which showed the ways a group of Jewish people during the 1940’s went about trying to conceal their identity and themselves. This story was a true story taken from a diary of a young girl during the incident.
Bio Of Anne Frank Essay Research Paper
The Diary of Anne Frank Anne Frank s Diary is sometimes considered by most people to be a novel. Frank s diary is not a novel, but a true diary kept by a young Jewish girl for two years that she was forced to be in hiding by the Nazi persecution of the Jews of Europe. The event recounted in Anne Frank s diary take place during World War II.
Diary Of Ann Frank Essay Research Paper
Books related to Diary of Anne Frank 2 Diary of Anne Frank 1.The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank 2.The setting of this book is an attic of a building in Amsterdam during the time period of 1942 to 1944.
Anne Frank 3 Essay Research Paper Anne
Anne Frank 3 Essay, Research Paper Anne Frank Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl going through hard times during World War II, writes in her diary about her thoughts and feelings relating to her life from her own prospective. Anne writes from an attic where she is hiding from the Nazi s. This is a book report on Anne Frank, Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank.
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper In 1942
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper In 1942, when the Nazi?s began to invade their country, the Frank family went into hiding in an attic of a warehouse. The Franks? daughter, Anne,
Fuck You Bitch Essay Research Paper Dear
Fuck You Bitch Essay, Research Paper Dear Anne Landers,This article is in response to the Midwestern Realists article about today s American teenagers. I am 14, and am in 8th grade. It is completely unfair of you to make such a large generalization. I am in advanced math, and am getting pretty good grades in all of my classes.
Anne Bradstreet Essay Research Paper A Second
Anne Bradstreet Essay, Research Paper A Second Look Anne Bradstreet lived in a time when devotion in a wife to her husband was a social law. This poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” is a loving tribute from Bradstreet to her husband. Certainly, in the early American, Puritan colonies, this work would have been seen as a wife’s duty as well as a lovely gesture.
Anne Bradstreet Vs Anne Saxto Essay Research
Paper Anne Bradstreet vs. Anne Sexton When one thinks about women in literature, the names Anne Bradstreet and Anne Sexton come to mind. They are two very passionate women who wrote about everyday life while making it seem extraordinary. However, they didn t quite express themselves in the same way. These women were different in the way they wrote about family life and the pattern in which they wrote their poetry.
Helen Keller Essay Research Paper Helen Keller
Helen Keller Essay, Research Paper Helen Keller This novel is about the amazing accomplishments Helen Keller has achieved. Her appearance was not much different from others even though she was blind and deaf. Helen had long light brown hair that was always tied up in a bun, with very thin lips. When Helen was a little girl she was very smart, greedy, and stubborn.
Anne Frank Diary Essay Research Paper Anne
Anne Frank Diary Essay, Research Paper Anne Frank lived with her family in a pleasant house.For Anne and her sister, Margot, their early childhood wasa sucure place inhabited by loving parents, relatives andnurses. However, the Nazis had gained power in some parts ofGermany. The Nazis wanted all Jews to be killed.
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper The Diary
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper The Diary of Anne Frank Anne Frank lived with her family in a pleasant house. For Anne and her sister, Margot, their early childhood was a sucure place inhabited by loving parents, relatives and nurses.
Anne Frank Essay Research Paper Anne Frank
Anne Frank Essay, Research Paper Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929. She was the second daughter of Otto and Edith Frank. Both of Anne?s parents were from respected German-Jewish families. Anne and her older sister Margot were raised in Germany in an atmosphere of tolerance. The Franks had friends of many faiths and nationalities.
Anne Frank Journal Essay Research Paper Journal
Anne Frank Journal Essay, Research Paper Journal #1 I think that when Mr. Frank, Mrs. Frank, Anne, and Margot needed to hide from the Nazis in Mr. Kraler loft in his factory the living conditions were so appalling. They only had two rooms and one space for Peter to sleep in. I feel it is amazing how two families, the Franks and the Van Daans, and one dentist, Mr.