Daystar: The images that most popped out in my mind when reading this poem where the images that alluded to the womans children. The "diapers steaming on the line, a doll slumped behind the door" (300). My gut reaction when I first read this poem was that it was such a terrible thing for this woman to be so busy with the care of her children. Having such a lack of sleep that "when she closed her eyes she'd see only her own vivid blood" (300). Then I began to see this poem from another perspective. Yes she was very very busy with the care of the children but what if the husband was very very busy with things that were traditionally thought of as "a man's duty"? In my mind this poem depicts a very traditional household (one that I am not sure is still so prevalent) where the woman is forced to do the 'domestic' activities while the husband is the 'bread winner'. While the wife is sleepless with her 'responsabilities' perhaps the husband is also sleepless with his? I can see the fact that the woman has found "the place that was hers for an hour"(300) as a good thing.
A Pair of Silk Stockings: My initial reaction to this short narrative was that this woman had been so pressured by the expectations put on her to take care of her children that she immediatly felt that she needed to spend the money on " Jainie's shoes . . . new shirt waists for the boys . . . sailor hats for the girls" (64). On first reading the narrative I felt that the fact that she ends up neglecting to buy these items for her children and instead buying new things for herself was just another testament to the extreme pressures and sacrifices she has had, and has, made for her children. Going without these nicer items herself for so long that when she finally finds herself with the means to purchase them that she 'breaks down' and purchases them. I can also see the woman as being a horrible person for neglecting her children to purchase things for herself, but I simply see this as a reinforcement of the effect that the sacrifices she has made is having on her. I see this 'break down' as being similar to the break down in The Yellow Wall-Paper.
Why I Want a Wife: I see this piece (although it was published in the 1970's) as being 'old fashioned'. At least from my own perspective I see women as having broken these expectations that are mentioned in the piece such as cleaning the house, having dinner prepared etc. I was especially offended by the idea that someone would want a wife and expect them to be faithful while expecting the wife to understand that the person she is with would need to break from the constraints of monogomy. At least from my own experience and upbringing this, among the other things mentioned, is not an expectation of a wife, at least contemporarily. I can certainly see where these things have been expectations of wives in the past, I just don't see them as being contemporary expectations. I would personally love to have the opportunity to stay home with my children and to bond with them and allow them to bond with me. But that is just me and I am a small sample of the contemporary male population.
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I think that the traditional role of what a man or woman are supposed to do is slowly ending. What you said about how the woman is always thought to do the domestic duties and the man is the bread winner makes me think about how women are also seen as teacher and when these things are switched and the man is a stay at home dad or an elementary teacher people think its not right and not supposed to be that way. There is a cycle that has gone on since forever about what roles men and women play in society and as it is getting blurred in this century I think there is a long way to go. In order for it to change people are going to have to be more cautious of what they do and say and how they act or react to these differences.
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