'THE MOTHER' by Gwendolyn Brooks
Abortions will not let you forget. |
What Is 'The Mother' About?
An unnamed speaker reflects on the abortions she has. The unnamed speaker appears to be the mother as she said she has had abortions and it will not let you forget. The mother directly addresses her aborted fetuses and tells them that her decision to have a abortion wasn't her intent and it wasn't deliberate as she said in the 2nd stanza. She thinks throughly if it was possible to steal their births, their stilted or lovely loves, their tumults, their marriages, aches and deaths before they were even alive. At the end of the poem, she said she loved them all meaning she didn't just had an abortion, she had multiple abortions.
I chose this poem because I too question if abortion is a crime or not. I was immersed into the poem.
I chose this poem because I too question if abortion is a crime or not. I was immersed into the poem.
What Are The Poetic Techniques?
This poem is free verse. It does not has any regular meter. It rhymes sometimes and the rhyme in this poem used the format AA, BB, etc. Sometimes the format breaks and changes into ABAB, etc or does not have a rhyming scheme. An example for AA, BB would be stanza 1, line 1-6. An example for the rhyming scheme ABAB, etc would be stanza 2, line 2-5. The end rhymes don't last throughout the poem. Free verse allows the poet to be free with her writing, whether if she wants some rhyming couplets or not.
Sometimes she seems hopeful or determined, and the rhymes flow freely. Other times, she's doubtful, confused, or just plain exhausted. The (lack of) rhymes reflect that too.
Another poetic device found in this poem is repetition. The last stanza (stanza 3), 'Believe me, I loved you all' is repeated in line 1 and 2. The mother repeated these words to convince and to let her aborted fetuses believe that she loved them.
Sometimes she seems hopeful or determined, and the rhymes flow freely. Other times, she's doubtful, confused, or just plain exhausted. The (lack of) rhymes reflect that too.
Another poetic device found in this poem is repetition. The last stanza (stanza 3), 'Believe me, I loved you all' is repeated in line 1 and 2. The mother repeated these words to convince and to let her aborted fetuses believe that she loved them.
What Themes Are They?
The first theme is life, consciousness and existence. The speaker is the mother and she spends most of her time describing her non-existent babies. She thinks about if her fetuses are categorize as alive or dead. She questions the existence of her baby.
The second theme guilt and blame. Guilt and blame is found throughout the poem. The mother blames herself for aborting her fetuses, she has made up fantasies about her children and their future that never existence but wished it had. She thinks that what she has done was a crime (Stanza 2, line 14).
The second theme guilt and blame. Guilt and blame is found throughout the poem. The mother blames herself for aborting her fetuses, she has made up fantasies about her children and their future that never existence but wished it had. She thinks that what she has done was a crime (Stanza 2, line 14).
My Opinions
When I read this poem, I felt the sadness of the mother and how she felt so wronged by her decisions and confused about her aborted fetuses to even have permission to call herself a mother when her babies were never made. She felt insane about taking away her 'children's' future.
In a few times, she was talking to the audience, sometimes talking to herself and most of the time communicating to her aborted fetuses. When she was talking to the audience, it sounded like the audience was involved; Well in my opinion, 'mothers' who had abortions are more involved. I think that 'mothers' who has had abortions are more relatable to the speakers feelings and sayings. When she was talking to herself, confusion was everywhere. Confused in whether her baby was once alive or not because they were never made. She says 'You were born, you had body, you died.' and 'It is just that you never giggled, planned or cried.' I think that she wants to categorize her aborted fetuses as alive because she hesitated in saying that her aborted fetuses was dead and refuses to believe that her babies weren't once alive by saying 'it is just that you never giggled, planned or cried.'. When she was speaking to her aborted fetuses, she sounded regretful and wanted to explain to her fetuses she didn't mean to had an abortion. She was mostly sorry about what she has taken away and done to them.
This poem has made me question a lot and I liked how the poet used who she was talking to whether it to be the audience, herself or her aborted fetuses, it gave out lots of feelings in just who she was communicating with. The poet has written a great poem in my opinion.
In a few times, she was talking to the audience, sometimes talking to herself and most of the time communicating to her aborted fetuses. When she was talking to the audience, it sounded like the audience was involved; Well in my opinion, 'mothers' who had abortions are more involved. I think that 'mothers' who has had abortions are more relatable to the speakers feelings and sayings. When she was talking to herself, confusion was everywhere. Confused in whether her baby was once alive or not because they were never made. She says 'You were born, you had body, you died.' and 'It is just that you never giggled, planned or cried.' I think that she wants to categorize her aborted fetuses as alive because she hesitated in saying that her aborted fetuses was dead and refuses to believe that her babies weren't once alive by saying 'it is just that you never giggled, planned or cried.'. When she was speaking to her aborted fetuses, she sounded regretful and wanted to explain to her fetuses she didn't mean to had an abortion. She was mostly sorry about what she has taken away and done to them.
This poem has made me question a lot and I liked how the poet used who she was talking to whether it to be the audience, herself or her aborted fetuses, it gave out lots of feelings in just who she was communicating with. The poet has written a great poem in my opinion.