Essay Questions

How are the men described in the poem "The Immovable Tenant’’?

In this poem, the narrator talks about men when describing an old lady he used to know and who lived in the same building as him. The men described in this poem are not presented in a positive manner, the narrator choosing instead to focus on their deceiving nature and desire to fool impressionable women. The old woman’s former partners behaved loosely in the same manner. First, they pretended to have a lot of money, making the old woman fall in love with them, thinking about the possible financial stability she could have as a result. Then, it is proven that all the men lied and that they overestimated their worth. When the financial situation became dire, all the men left the woman to fend for herself, choosing instead to go and try their luck somewhere else. Thus, because of this, the woman had to suffer through lies and financial hardships, just because the men felt the need to impress the old woman.

Explain the ending lines "With your sweet words, Lover, tempt me/ not, if you've come empty-handed’’ in the poem "Tropic Love’’.

In the poem mentioned above, the narrator, an unnamed woman, addresses her partner or maybe her husband. The man is not present in her life and through the poem the woman transmits her feelings about their relationship and gives him an ultimatum: he can be involved in her life and in their children lives or he can go away and never interfere with their lives again. The lines from above represent the closing statement and is used by the narrator to enforce once more the idea that what she wants from him are actions, not empty words with no real value behind them.

How are the men described in the poem "The Immovable Tenant’’?

In this poem, the narrator talks about men when describing an old lady he used to know and who lived in the same building as him. The men described in this poem are not presented in a positive manner, the narrator choosing instead to focus on their deceiving nature and desire to fool impressionable women. The old woman’s former partners behaved loosely in the same manner. First, they pretended to have a lot of money, making the old woman fall in love with them, thinking about the possible financial stability she could have as a result. Then, it is proven that all the men lied and that they overestimated their worth. When the financial situation became dire, all the men left the woman to fend for herself, choosing instead to go and try their luck somewhere else. Thus, because of this, the woman had to suffer through lies and financial hardships, just because the men felt the need to impress the old woman.