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For months my daughter carried
a dead monarch in a quart mason jar.
To and from school in her backpack,
to her only friend’s house.   At the dinner table
it sat like a guest alongside the pot roast.
She took it to bed, propped by her pillow.

Was it the year her brother was born?
Was this her own too-fragile baby
that had lived—so briefly—in its glassed world?
Or the year she refused to go to her father’s house?
Was this the holding-her-breath girl she became there?

This plump child in her rolled-down socks
I sometimes wanted to haul back inside me
and carry safe again.   What was her fierce
commitment?   I never understood.
We just lived with the dead winged thing
as part of her, as part of us,
weightless in its heavy jar.

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Birthday:  1947 (exact date not found on internet)

From:  New Jersey, USA. She now lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Interesting Info: She is a teacher at Pacific University, working in the MFA program. Bass’s style is very direct; she has noted, “I work to speak in a voice that is meaningful communication. Poetry is the most intimate of all writing. I want to speak from me to myself and then from me to you.”

Wikipedia. “Ellen Bass.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Bass.

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In this poem, the author refers to herself in the first person, using words like "I", when she is describing herself. However, throughout the majority of the poem she is talking about her daughter, which she refers to in the third person, using words like "her." Throughout the entire poem there is a very darkside of the poem starting with the title. Like most mothers, thee mother is very worried about her daughter and wants to help her with whatever problem she is struggling with. The tone starts off a little bit lighter in the morning and gets more concerning toward the end. I really love how much this poem makes you think due to the tone that is used throughout the poem, because it can be perceived in so many different ways.

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Oxymoron: A combination of two words that appear to contradict each other.
Example from Poem: weightless in a heavy jar

I think that this is the most powerful line in the entire poem. The words "weightless" and "heavy" are complete opposites, yet paint an amazing visual in your head of this dead butterfly inside a very heavy mason jar.

Ambiguity: A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, even in its context. Poets often search out
such words to add richness to their work. Often, one meaning seems quite readily apparent, but
other, deeper and darker meanings, await those who contemplate the poem.
Example from Text: Or the year she refused to go to her father’s house?

I think that this is a very powerful use of ambiguity because when you first read this section of the poem, you think that she just doesn't want to go to her fathers house, but when you think deeper into this section of the poem and keep in mind the following lines, this could be due to a abusive relationship. Since the parents obviously don't live in the same house, this could be due to a divorce and could be heavily effecting the daughter that this poem is written about.

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Stanza 1 - In the 1st stanza we learn that the speaker point of view is a parent who has a daughter. The daughter carries a dead butterfly around in a mason jar. She makes sure it is in her backpack and she always brings it to school. She only has one friend so she is probably very lonely. The daughter even sleeps with the dead butterfly propped up on her pillow in her room when she goes to sleep, to keep her company.
Stanza 2 - The parent is very confused on why there child carries around a dead butterfly every single day. They are asking questions, trying to figure out what the butterfly means. We learn that the speaker is the mother of this girl and that she visits her fathers house, which infers that her parents don't live together.
Stanza 3 -  Her mom describes her daughter as "plump" which means the daughter is overweight. She wears rolled down socks. The mother doesn't understand why her daughter carries around this dead butterfly and wants to figure it out.

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Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the
same or adjacent lines. A somewhat looser definition is that it is the use of the same consonant in any
part of adjacent words.
Example from Poem:  propped by her pillow

This is very powerful in the poem because it makes the vibe of the poem run much smoother. If a different adjective were to be used in this situation, the words would not flow as nicely and it would sound very choppy. Using alliteration in poems, is a very useful skill that I think, when applied right, can change the whole poem completely.

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Stanza 1- The author is speaking from the point of view of a parent who has a daughter. The daughter carries around a mason jar everywhere that she goes. As a parent, this could be concerning because in the mason jar is a dead butterfly. Finding a dead butterfly often times is a symbol for death and sickness. The daughter could be using the monarch to symbolize something that she has lost. The parent also says that her daughter only has one friend. This probably means that the daughter is very lonely. She even brings the butterfly to school and the dinner table. She sleeps with it propper up on her bed like it was a person sleeping in the bed with her.
Stanza 2-  The author starts this stanza by mentioning a brother. The line doesn't give enough information on whether the brother is dead or alive. The brother could have passed away and the dead butterfly symbolizes her brother, and that is why she keeps it with her all the time. The following line uses the word "too" to infer that the parent has lost a child. This is most likely the brother/ son that was in this family. He died at a young age. "that had lived—so briefly—in its glassed world?". The next two lines are extremely powerful and confirm that the parent that is nararating this is the mother. The speakers says, " is it the year she refused to go to her fathers house?" which infers that the parents are probably divorced, due to the fact they live in separate houses. The mother also says that once she visited her dads house one year, she became much more shy. She used the words "holding-her-breathe girl, she became there."  This could be due to abuse or other things that cause her to be scared and shy around her father.
Stanza 3 - The final stanza starts with a physical description of the daughter. The mother uses the word, "plump" to describe her daughter. This is something that often times parents don't do: talk poorly about their children. This could mean that the daughter is very insecure. She wants to help her daughter very badly because she can see she is struggling. She finishes the poem by saying that having the jar in her life has became natural, "something we live with." She refers to "we," as her daughter and her. The final line is extremely powerful and the word choice of "weightless in a heavy jar" is an absolutely amazing use of word choice.

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Glassed- Another word for "glassed-in" A glassed-in room or building has large windows instead of walls.