"Marks" by Linda Pastan
Born on May 27, 1932, Linda Pastan is a Jewish-American Poet from New York. Now 82 years old, Pastan served as Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1991-1995.
Marks
My husband gives me an A
for last night's supper,
an incomplete for my ironing,
a B plus in bed.
My son says I am average,
an average mother, but if
I put my mind to it
I could improve.
My daughter believes
in Pass/Fail and tells me
I pass. Wait 'til they learnI'm dropping out.
It is clear that poet Linda Pastan has adopted the metaphor of a grading scale and it's variations. The narrator of the poem makes it clear that she is annoyed with constantly being reviewed and graded by people, especially her own family. The narrator starts with explaining her best grades, given to her by her husband. She states "My husband gives me an A for last night's supper" followed by " a B plus in bed". She is then graded by her son who claims that she is an "average mother". Lastly, her daughter, "who believes in Pass/Fail", gives the mother a passing grade. This constant grading of a mother's everyday actions shows the audience that the metaphor itself is humorous. It has taken a the situation of a family lacking respect and appreciation and turned it into something somewhat witty.
However, the poem has somewhat of a dark side. We see that the mother figure is frustrated. From her "incomplete" in ironing, her sense that she could improve for her son, and finally her "dropping out". Her final words, "Wait 'til they learn I'm dropping out", has an incredibly dark connotation. The narrator could be suggesting suicide, however it appears as if she only craves independence from her family's judgement. Therefore it must be assumed that her "dropping out" is a form of escape that lacks physical harm. The most probable thing that this metaphor could represent is the divorce of the family. Tired of her family's lack of value for her, her retaliation is leaving them to fend for themselves in the the land of the housewife.
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