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her story began with a forced marriage. In mythology, Hera repeatedly rejected Zeus’ advances and refused to marry him. However, Zeus was relentless and ignored her dismissal. 

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The poem "the coffee house, cockpit hotel" uses an extended metaphor to reference the concept on Arranged Marriages, an ancient concept dating back to thousands of years ago, already showing its old and outdated nature. However, there is also another additional extended metaphor to combat the "doll-like" metaphor by showing how they can have emotion.

The idea of arranged marriages paint the women as a doll and talks about how they were made to be displayed like a museum artifact, dehumanizing them. In stanza 1 "her eyes, downcast, become modest behavior" and stanza 4 "smile gently at the groom" This shows how even though the woman wants to be expressive (negative, human like, UGLY emotions), they (possibly by force of habit...) are forced to be modest and doll-like.

Additionally in Stanza 3 "twice, a hand gently steals out & pats any suspected flaws of coiffure into perfection" This further emphasizes on the museum artifact metaphor by saying that the women must look prim and proper and no flaws should exist (forced to be perfect). The word "twice" may also hint at the idea that the woman (like a human) is flawed by nature by showing how the hair is stubborn and does not want to be perfect.

Lastly, we can see more proof on how women were never meant to be "dolls" and are actual humans with genuine emotion. The woman in the poem is actually able to show emotion (sadness) In stanza 1 "having a respite before the dinner" showing how even she gets tired and nervous (unlike a doll or museum artifact) and stanza 3 "most of the time, looking at her gloves, her eyes downcast" showing how the woman can feel emotions like sadness and discomfort. Additionally also showing how the woman feels restrained and helpless under the control of men and her parents.

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The woman is taking the role of a slave in this poem. As seen in "Excellent opportunities for masochists to wash, wipe, climb, dust, paint, polish: Simply set elbow grease for doing what you must do" This shows the woman to be sarcastic as she says its an 'Excellent opportunity' to a 'masochist' (someone who takes pleasure in someone's pain) to be able to get through the many agonising chores. The woman then goes on using 'to' repetitively when she starts saying all her many chores "rubbish to clear lists to make curtains to hang covers to change..." The lack of comma or other connectors or punctuations suggest how rushed the tone is using enjambment and the ending of the list being "etcetera etcetera e t c e t e r a" uses repetition and the spacing in the last "e t c e t e r a" highlights the dread in the length of her list that seems to go on forever. Furthermore she proceeds to say "Never underestimate what it takes to live through one occasion" meaning her survival is hanging in the balance of this one occasion, being Chinese New Year. "Exceptional having one gender as the butt of prosperity" Which reinforces her sarcasm towards the idea that the men are bringing in the prosperity comparing the level of success they have to a 'butt'. As she was the one that did all the work. Showing dissatisfaction. In the next stanza "Yes! Food, elders, children, ang pows," She lists off things again, this time with comma's in between showing how she is at ease after finally getting all the work done. "Absolute." Which makes the grand event beyond satisfactory to her that it's so great she can only use one word in her speechless moment 'absolute'. Then she uses a taunting tone "Such suckers we make of ourselves-" this mocks the people and ends with a dash, which drags out the line longer to leave it lingering before she finishes with "Respecting the expletive-deleted Annual Ritual for the Enslavement of Women" This powerful ending uses Chinese New Year as a long, complicated ritual, that is obscene and not talked about to protect profanity and how society chooses that over the women, treating the women as expendable slaves during the CNY period. Thus the role of the woman in this poem is a slave, as despite doing all the labour, it is the men that get the spotlight. She titles the poem CNY, instead of spelling out the whole name to appease to the 'expletive-deleted' factor of Chinese New Year. The structure of the poem makes the start of every line tally vertically to spell out the word Chinese New Year, hiding the full name inside the poem as she talks about the torture women endure for this holiday. Which implies how the celebration of Chinese New Year is engraved into the work and pain and Enslavement of Women

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'The Hawthorn Hedge' showcases the woman taking up a feminist role. "Let him stare. No one is here" This line sums up her take on her potential suitors, unbothered by them and defensive. "her song was sweet in the wind" Usually a man would sing to a women to impress her, and court her, but because she is singing herself, to herself. It shows her self love and lack of the need for a man. She descries herself as "mad old girl" which contradicts to her youth, showing how her behavior is more common in elder ladies that have gone 'mad' to not be interested in a man's love. Thus, this poem portrays the woman as a feminist role who does not need a man and would do as she pleases despite the society's social standards for women.

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The "Fruits" (Goh Poh Seng) portrays the role of women as a silenced mother in a male dominated relationship. Mothers are a very caring, loving and nurturing nature but is silenced in the male dominated relationship she is in. In the first stanza, " sensing the need to bring nature's miraculous abundance". The author used and extended metaphor and represents the fruits as the giving of life. However, even though the mother is caring for her own children, the poems shows the mother has no power. The author wrote the poem in a way which appreciates the mother but the mother has no voice. This shows the family is male dominated and the mother only wants well for her children, thus her caring and loving nature. The words 'miraculous abundance' shows how the author shows appreciation to the mother for the children that were born, treating them as a miracle, a gift from the heavens that he could only dream of without the mother. However, this shows that the author only showed acknowledged the mother but also silenced her, with no information on her feelings in the matter, only his thoughs and appreciation. In stanzas 2, "loving the way their bulks grow in the warm sun." The author uses another metaphor to represent the love and care given by the mother for her children. The word "warm sun" is symbolic for the caring and loving nature of the mother, the love being able to grow and nature her children. However, it only shows the result of the mothers loving and how the author describes it, showing his power and authority in the relationship. The mother's love for her children is further emphasised in stanzas 4, "such shapes swollen by the fertile soil, rounded by the nourishing daylight to come slowly, loving to prime, through succesive seasons, through the year, to attain these perfect forms.' the author uses the qoute as a metaphor for the everlasting and longlasting care for her children, throughout each year and for more years to come. This proves the male dominated relationship and also shows that the role of the mother is as the caregiver and with no power or authority in the family. The Poem does represent women in a positive light where women have a caring loving and nurturing nature for their children, willingly but also shows mothers as submissive caregivers, giving in to the man.

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Joan of Arc, a significant feminist symbol for women's independence and freedom. 

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In the poem 'The Hawthorn Hedge (Judith Wright)', the role of the woman is portrayed as a feminist. "Let him stare. No one is here." This short yet impactful statement is declaring her indifference to the suitors' advances, showing the defensive stance she has put up.

"Her hands were strong in the earth, ... her song was sweet on the wind." The first part referring to her doing physically demanding work, getting her hands soiled by the earth. She is showing her capablility to do labour and challenging the stereotype of women being weak and needing help from men. In the second part, the song refers to the singing of lovesongs to court a woman. However, the addition of 'her' in front of the word shows that it is not a man singing it but it is the person herself. Her singing a song for herself depicts an adamant rejection of the men's courting. These two stanzas thus show her lack of needing a man, deeming herself perfectly capable to do things more traditionally masculine.

Furthermore, in the fourth stanza, it reads "Year-long, wind turns her grindstone heart and whets a thornbranch like a knife," The intimidating imagery of weaponry in a stereotypically frail woman's possession shows contrast, emphasizing the fact that she would go to such lengths to defend herself from the suitors, using even violence. To add on, this imagery has a cold and rigid atmosphere, highlighting how cold-hearted she is in the constant rejection of the suitors and her defiance to getting courted.

Therefore, the poem portrays the woman as a feminist who is independent and able to stand up for herself regardless of the societal norms for women.

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Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity.

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In "Fruits" by Goh Poh Seng, women are portrayed as mothers. Mothers are generally usually portrayed as nurturing caregivers, loving, and sincere.

Throughout the poem i noticed that they constantly mention arching, bending and anything related to bending. "would bend their slim boughs in graceful curtsies". This could be a metaphor comparing fruit bearing trees to child bearing/pregnant mothers. This line talks about how the "mother" is willing to distort their bodies for their children, a direct reference to pregnancy, which shows how sacrificial and loving a mother can be. This line "bend the slim boughs in graceful curtsies" also portrays how mothers are willing to give up things they hold dear to themselves (their beauty) for their children further showing how they are very sincere. They also in a very graceful manner to hide pain as they do so This shows how women and mothers alike can be strong and resilient.

These references can be used to counter the metaphor used against them when compared to bland boring trees. In stanza 1, there are all sorts of fruits "apple, cherry, two kinds of oriental pears". However, those same fruits were most likely all bore by similar looking trees. This shows how women are only seen for their ability to give birth and are mere "vessels". However the references back in stanza 2-4 can show how women and mother alike are more than that.

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Representations of the woman and her role(s) in society

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Representations of the woman and her role(s) in society

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Choose TWO poems to comment on

Remember that EVIDENCE and LITERARY ANALYSIS is critical as you write your commentary

Examining the 'role of the woman' is not the same as describing the woman being portrayed in the poem

In order to answer the question on the 'role of the woman' in the poem, you might first need to know about generic roles of women in society

Include an image on your post that best represents how you view the woman in your chosen poem.

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The poem "Fruits" by Goh Poh Seng portrays the role of women in two different ways. Nearer the start in stanza 3, the woman in the situation is portrayed as a youthful person ready for love and romance, playing the role of a lover, full of passion and ready to find the right man for her. This is shown in stanza 3 where there was a "fond piece of jewellery left by a lovely lady during a nocturnal tryst of lovemaking". This segment uses very nuanced words such as "tryst" and "lovemaking" to help in conveying the romantic feeling of the scene and the womans role in it and presenting it as romantic rather than sexual, the woman as a lovemaker rather than a whore.

Later in the poem, there is a shift in womens role which follows suit with the shift in tone from the poem, maturing as it progresses. The women in the poem go from lovemakers to more motherly figures, kind and caring, ready to start a new life and raise their child. In stanza 4 it is stated that "lovingly to prime through successive seasons , through the year, to attain these perfect forms". This segment alludes to pregnancy in women and how the child in nurtured inside the womb. This highlights womens motherly role in this part of the poem and follows suit with the theme of life in the poem as growing and maturing is an essential part of life. Just like how the women in the poem go from adolescent romantics to more mature mothers.

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In "The Hawthorn Hedge" by Judith Wright, the woman's role in the poem is portrayed as an independent feminist in a male-dominated society. "Let him stare. No one is here." This cold line in the poem is delivered with a standoffish undertone, implying that the woman has a disregard for being courted by a man. Despite the societal notion of, 'a woman is deemed nothing without a man', the woman in this poem remains undeterred to stay alone. Her demeanour juxtaposes the conventional & sole purpose of a woman [during mediaeval times] which is to be a wife, or pursued. This is seen through the line "Only the mad old girl", where females are seen as hysterical if they do not desire a suitor, moreover, driving them away. Therefore, the line tinged with an empowering tone, "Let him stare." emphasises her preference to live/exist on her own terms, further highlighting her independence and her role as a feminist as she does not require a man to to be classified as a 'conventional woman'. Furthermore, "The mad old girl... unkempt as an old tree". This piece of imagery signifies the woman's challenge to traditional perceptions of women being feminine and poised. By portraying her as 'unkempt' and 'mad', it subverts societal norms that dictate womens' worth based on their appearance or demeanour. Her disinterest in conforming to these standards is evident in her "unkempt" front, which further emphasises her refusal to be defined by male validation or societal expectations. Therefore, she is a representation of all the independent women in a patriarchic society, and stands as a figure of feminism.

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The Hawthorn Hedge poem by Judith write portrays the role of the woman as an independent, and strong feminist nwho needs no help from men.

“No one is here for you” this strong opionated line indicates that though she is the only person around the area, she was not in existence for the knight who was looking for a wife. She strongly refused to be courted by the knight on the horse, as she believed to be well off on her own. She was adamant on not to be married. Though the societal laws during the medicinal times were that a woman only existed to get married and birth children, she refused to give in and succumb to these laws. Instead, she revoked these laws and insisted on being alone, saying that she most definitely could live without the help of a man.

“Unkempt like an old tree”

This line serves as a simile which highlights the fact that her appearance has not been maintained, and that she looks . This further emphasises that’s she has no requirements to look pretty and presentable for a man to court her, as the role of a woman was to do just that in the medevial times. She refused to seek for men’s validation, explaining why she believed that her appearance did not need to be clean and proper. Thus, it is clear that she refuses to change her appearance just for a man, so it is known that she doesn’t want to depend on anyone but herself.

“Whets a thorn branch like a knife”

This line acts as a simile once again is threatening, linking back to how she wants to be seen as mad and scary and is not afraid to use it as a weaponShe sharpens the thorn branch like a knife, to be defensive of her area. She gestures in a way, that she has no desire to be courted by the man, thus the knife lies as something that should scare future knights looking for his suitress.

“Her hands as strong as the earth” this line also further inaugurates the fact that her hands have been modeled into strong and girthy ones, further emphasising the fact that she has been doing all the work in her house by herself, without looking out for any help from the possible suitors.

All in all, this poem enunciates how this “mad old” character strongly believes in being independent, and that she did not need no help from a man.

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The poem "CNY" by Leong Liew Geok shows the role of women as the bottom of the family, the suckers of the family. The poet The poems starts of as a set of instructions. From stanzas 1-13, "Consider the run up to it: ... to juggle spring cleaning with other expletive-deleted chores; Never underestimate what the auspicious season brings-" It shows the women's anger and frustration that she is venting out at the man during this Chinese New Year period. The "-" represents the change of voice, changing the the man's perspective. lines 6, "Simply set elbow grease for doing what you must do." This shows the poet's sarcasm to the women to the hard work they have done, portraying it as a simple and easy task. thus, the lines 1-4 are written as sarcasm and mockery to the women. The lines, "Exceeding expectations: rubbish to clear... etecetera etectera e t e c e t e r a-" This uses alot of imagery and repetition to emphasise the overwhelming things women has to do, and in lines '' 15'', the word "butt" belittles and insults the women further on top of the amount of work they have to do, showing the role of women as the bottom of the family. The poems ends of with, " Respecting the expletive-deleted Annual ritual for the Enslavement of Women". The author uses oxymoron and sarcasm to show his insults and prove that women are the bottom of the family but also show slight hints of fear, fear of retaliation by the women.

authors

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In this poem, the woman here is portrayed as a domestic housewife. However, there's a sarcastic and frustrated tone throughout the poem, contrasting the usual docile image of a housewife. Firstly, when it reads "...with other expletive-deleted chores," the "expletive-deleted" refers to the author cursing with anger and frustration. However, the original profanity has been censored into "expletive-deleted", showing how no matter how fed-up she is, she is expected to 'tone down' and maintain a polite and modest front. Furthermore, the fact that she is an Asian further emphasises the societal norms to keep up one's appearance.

Additionally, there is a section in the first stanza where chores and tasks were continuously listed without any commas or punctuation. "Exceeding expectations: rubbish to clear lists to make curtains to hang covers to change ... and so on and so forth etcetera etcetera etcetera e t c e t e r a–" Firstly, the lack of punctuation shows the urgency and how tremendous of a load these tasks are. Secondly, the use of white space where the words are tightly packed together create a stressful and confined atmosphere, similar to how the woman is trapped by the burden of these chores. Thirdly, the ending of the list shows repetition of 'etcetera', ending with a version with spaced out letters getting cut off. This represents the anger building up like how her list of things to do are too, before she finally snaps, hence the abrupt dash used after the last 'etcetera'. The use of white space is a visual representation of the prolonged list.

"Exceptional in having one gender as the butt of prosperity" The gender here refers to females, and how we get the short end of the stick in Chinese New Year celebrations, having an unreasonably large amount of household matters to settle alongside our careers. The effort put in is not appreciated or rewarded, as it is seen as the bare minimum for a woman. There is a hint of sarcasm in the sentence, the woman's feelings of injustice seeping through the sarcastic facade.

"Such suckers we make of ourselves" shows the acknowledgement of how women are put into demeaning positions, even careerwomen reduced to an object solely for domestic duties. Furthermore, this sentence, "Respecting the expletive-deleted Annual Ritual for the Enslavement of Women" shows her resignation. The 'expletive-deleted' which first appeared in the first stanza is repeated here once again, using the effect of parallelism to amplify the constant rage she feels for this annual event. "Annual Ritual for the Enslavement of Women" is a metaphor for Chinese New Year, depicting how such a supposedly festive and cheery celebration has morphed into the blatant exploitation of women, having them work tirelessly like slaves with no freedom. Additionally, the title 'CNY' is used instead of the full word 'Chinese New Year', showing the reluctance to using its proper term as she sees it as a demeaning event for women.