A Tent a Tree, a Woman Is She

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Thea Deaton Andrea Parton English 1023 30 January 2014 A Tent, a Tree, a Woman is She A poet paints an image with words, and often sheds light on a subject with the use of metaphors; he describes a woman, perhaps as a tent or a tree. For example, “The Silken Tent” which was written by Robert Frost in 1942, and “A Work of Artifice” written by Marge Piercy in 1973, speak to the reader regarding the position and treatment of women. These two twentieth century, great American poets, Robert Frost and Marge Piercy, use metaphors to illustrate standards that society imposes on women. In order to understand the deeper meaning of these two poems, which is buried beneath metaphors, one must examine the words closely as well as their historical context. In the poem, “The Silken Tent” Frost writes, “She is as” (1) which immediately reveals the true subject of the poem is “she”, not “the silken tent” (1). The term “silken tent” (1) evokes images of soft billowing fabric standing “in a field” (1), “it gently sways at ease” (4) in the “sunny summer breeze” (2). Frost continues to describe this tent/woman as strong and upright with its “supporting central cedar pole” (5). The author suggests she is gentle, yet strong. The tent/woman is independent because the center pole stands alone. It “Seems to owe naught to any single cord” (8). Frost also reveals her character with heavenly references such as “its pinnacle to heaven” (6) and “the sureness of the soul” (7). In the following lines the tent/woman is described as “loosely bound” (9) to the earth, “By countless ties that of love and thought” (10) which represent family, friends and community, commonly referred to as the ties that bind. The words “loosely bound” (9) imply that she is bound by choice, and it is in fact, an act of love, that she tolerates the connections to all of the people who are dependent upon her.
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