Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
The poem is told from the perspective of a third-person objective point of view.
Form and Meter
The poem is written in free form, thus having no form and meter.
Metaphors and Similes
At the end of the poem, the narrator mentions how the main character’s mother laments the lack of grandchildren she will have to deal with. The term used to make reference to fertility is ‘’sturdy hips’’, which is also used as a metaphor for reproduction.
Alliteration and Assonance
We find alliteration in the line "traces furrows in the rug’’.
Irony
N/A
Genre
The poem is a narrative poem in which the narrator tells the story of a lesbian woman and the way in which her family perceives the news.
Setting
The action in the poem takes place in the hall of the building where the main character lives.
Tone
The tone in the poem changes from a neutral one to a disappointed one, the latter being used to transmit the way in which the main character’s mother feels about the girl’s sexuality.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is presented as being the young girl while the antagonist is described as being her mother.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is presented as being between strict religious beliefs and a sexual orientation which is not generally accepted by religious people.
Climax
The poem reaches its climax when the narrator reveals the main character’s sexuality.
Foreshadowing
When the narrator describes the main character’s mother as being a religious person it is also foreshadowed the way in which the mother will refuse to accept the daughter’s decisions.
Understatement
The narrator suggests in the poem that the main character accepted the fact she feels attracted to women. This is however an understatement as the narrator later describes the girl as having a hard time accepting her sexual inclination.
Allusions
The girl in the poem is described as being "terra cotta’’. This may be an allusion towards the race of the girl, suggesting she is not a Caucasian.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The term "soil’’ is used in the poem as a general term to make reference to a person’s origins.
Personification
We find a personification in the line "their home soil has seen’’.
Hyperbole
We find a hyperbole in the lines "the waste of sturdy hips/ ripe for grandchildren.’’
Onomatopoeia
We find an onomatopoeia in the line "the mother who weeps’’.
