Backwards Essay Questions

Why does Shire employ such an unusual structure in the poem?

In "Backwards," Shire uses a mirrored structure in which the second stanza is exactly the same as the first stanza, but with all of the lines in reverse order. This means the last line of the first stanza is the first line of the second stanza, and so on. Shire makes this distinctive choice to highlight her central idea of revisiting the past. In portraying the undoing of violence and abandonment, Shire seems to work through these themes in an almost therapeutic process. By ending the poem where it began, with her father returning and not leaving, Shire expresses the hope that this act of revision can hold some hope for healing.

How does Shire portray the act of writing in the poem?

Shire repeatedly emphasizes the power of words throughout the poem. She expresses the hope that in writing this poem she can heal the wounds inflicted on her and her sister from childhood domestic abuse. She states that she can undo the pain they experienced, even if she can't literally erase the past. What she means is that the act of writing allows her to create a safe space for herself and her sister, giving them both a sense of control and strength. If she cannot make things different, she can at least say how they should have been. She portrays the act of writing as a therapeutic healing one—something that allows her to work through these painful memories and acknowledge that they should never have happened.