The Poetry of Ada Limón Lesson Plan

Analyze the theme of feminism in “Wife.” How does it differ from the exploration of feminism in “How to Triumph Like a Girl”?

In “Wife,” Limón situates the term wife as negative from the start. First, the speaker isn’t comfortable with the word, and then she starts sharing why she feels this way. Her unmarried friends view being a wife as something to be judged and teased about. Feminists see wives as maids (constantly doing acts of service for her husband and family), which is not inaccurate to a wife’s traditional role in patriarchal societies. When the speaker describes how she is as a wife, it is nothing like the traditional wife-role. She’s clearly struggling and...