The Use of Tone and Metaphors in Marks by Linda Pastan Essay -- Papers

The Use of Tone and Metaphors in Marks by Linda Pastan Linda Pastan?s poem ?Marks? is unusual because it addresses the frustrations of a typical housewife. Few people consider being a wife and mother a full-time job in itself, and it is not uncommon for a woman who plays both of these roles to feel overworked and unappreciated. What is unusual about Pastan?s poem is the way she effectively conveys these sentiments by the use of metaphors, tone, and informal diction. The speaker?s attitude is one of indifference, and this is made apparent by the metaphors she uses to compare her family?s regard for her duties as a wife and mother to school grades. The poem opens with, ?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...?. There is no emotion used in these lines, as if the speaker wishes to convey to the reader that she is so tired of serving others that she does not have time to consider her own personal feelings. She may believe that she is constantly being evaluated, and the fact th...