A Work of Artifice Essay Example

gain rights for women, so while writing this poem she used strong figurative language to display female oppression and male dominance. The bonsai tree is used as a metaphor for women. The gardener gives the tree human characteristics by signifying the tree should feel grateful for having a nice pot and singing to the tree as if it were a woman.

The gardener shapes the tree to his desired measurements instead of allowing it to be free and natural. For example, Piercy stated “But a gardener/ carefully pruned it. / It is nine inches high. Everyday as he/ whistles back the branches” (11. 6-10). After talking about the bonsai tree, the poem turns into how women must be controlled as well. This is clearly shown in the poem’s last sentence: “With living creatures/ one must begin very early/ to dwarf their growth: / the bound feet/ the crippled brain/ the hair in curlers/ the hands you/ love to touch” (11. 17-24). Though Piercy never clearly stated that the last stanza was about women, the phrases used insist that she was indeed talking about women. The last seven lines symbolize different expectations both men and society hold for women.

The lines 18 and 19 of the last stanza inform that the shaping of females must begin at an early age to “dwarf” their minds. When Piercy introduce line 20 about “bounding feet”, the Chinese tradition is brought to mind. This was used for women of a higher social class in an attempt to keep their feet small. Piercy then mentions line 21 about having a “crippled brain” which implies women should not be educated and should be kept

in the dark regarding anything outside of their roles. Line 22 mentions “hair in curlers” and represents that women must always look their best like the tree must be shaped.

The last two lines of the poem could signify that women are sexual objects or that women should praise men for taking care of them. Symbolism plays a large part in the way the poem is viewed. Imagery is used quiet often throughout “A Work of Artifice” and paints a vivid picture of what the message of the poem is. The bonsai tree is carefully pruned by the gardener daily and is kept in its little pot instead of letting it grow.

The gardener sings to the tree: “It is your nature/ to be small and cozy/ domestic and weak: /how lucky, little tree/ to have a pot to grow in” (11. 2-16). The poem explains that if the tree had a chance to grow it would be much larger on the side of a mountain. The tree is used as imagery to show how women are oppressed by men. Like the plant, if women weren’t held down by their roles in society they would be free to become educated and have whatever job or future they could imagine. Another use of imagery is the pot that the plant sits in. The pot symbolizes the house that a woman is confined to. Women are often seen only as housekeepers, mothers, and wives.

This stereotype has decreased in some nations, but is still going on in the majority of the world. The form of “A Work of Artifice” contains no rhyme schemes or meters, but it instead gives an

extraordinary use of free verse. The poem implies that women are held captive under male dominance. Because the women are held captive, they are not seen as free. Therefore, Piercy’s use of free verse is a contradiction to her poem. Though the poem lacks rhyme scheme, the structured display gives it a polished feel and relates to how the bonsai tree is kept in exact shape.

Every woman can relate to the challenges brought on by male dominance and the roles placed on women by society. Marge Piercy, along with thousands of other woman, fought for decades to increase women’s rights and equalities. Their struggles helped make America the place it is today by pushing the government to create gender equality laws. Though times are different, women around the world are still being subjected to these challenges and are craving change. If women everywhere read “A Work of Artifice” they would be strongly inspired to stand up and fight for the equality they deserve.