I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke - 1110 Words

Jaimee Barbee ENGL 300 Bouton Poetry Analysis I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke Theodore Roethke wrote of the beauty of a woman and how she captivated a man in his poem I Knew a Woman. Roethke describes a sexual attraction radiating from the man towards the woman that eventually is explored. Who the man is to the women is never revealed but one may interpret him as someone who didn t get to spend his life with this woman but rather had a beautiful love affair with her long ago and is now reminiscing. Roethke s opening verse is arresting in it s artful refutation of the cliche about beauty being only skin deep. I knew a woman, lovely in her bones, When small birds sighed, she would sigh back at them; Ah, when she†¦show more content†¦Gander is a male goose while the female is referred to simply as goose. Why Roethke choose geese as a comparison to these lovers is not clear. The full lips of the stanza s second line provide succulent imagery that distracts the speaker and pulls him in. The musical references of the earlier sing in chorus may be reinforced by played, quick, light, and loose, but those words are not restricted to a single area of meaning. The final four lines of this stanza are heavy with sexual imagery. The speaker describes the woman as an instructress skilled in the art of lovemaking, blessed with beautiful legs, and rabbit-like in her enthusiasm and other -asms. The line in parentheses refers to her motion during intercourse. She moved in circles, and those circles, another reference to her breasts, moved. The concluding verse is dizzyingly philosophical and fittingly so, after all of the turning, whirling, and circling motions of the previous stanzas. Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay: I m martyr to a motion not my own; What s freedom for? To know eternity. I swear she cast a shadow white as stone. But who could count eternity in days? These old bones live to learn her wanton ways: (I measure time by how a body sways). The reader notes the musicality of the alliterative martyr...motion...my,Show MoreRelatedI Knew A Woman By Theodore Roethke1974 Words   |  8 Pages The poem† I Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke† is a very sensual poem as it illustrates in several lines about to love making. Even though, it is a poem that shows the poet’s extreme sense of love and remembrance for his beloved. T. Roethke describes the cherished image of the woman that he loves and admires in many ways, and thoughtful tone also describes her as â€Å"lovely in her bones† ( ). He has compared her virtues with a goddess by using the phrase â€Å"of whom only God could speak† ( ). The dualRead MoreObligations1410 Words   |  6 Pagesobligation? Is it defined as something that one has to do because it is necessary for their living or is it something that one has to do because someone says they have to? I would define an obligation as something that one has to do because it is necessar y for their living. What I do not understand is how one person can dodge their obligations. I see people choose to live a life where their obligations are pushed aside as if they were choices. Obligations are not choices, but yet something that needs to beRead MoreEveryday Use by Alice Walker1461 Words   |  6 Pagesgranted. Dee makes the bold proclamation that she is not longer going by the name Dee, â€Å"‘Not Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!’† (Walker, 3013). Not only has â€Å"Wangero† shocked her mother with her new name, but goes to attack those her family history, â€Å"I could not longer bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppressed me.† The author make a substantial point by connecting Dee’s new beliefs to disowning her heritage and her ancestors. Despite the rejection of her family’s humbled lifeRead More`` Gold Glade `` And The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1811 Words   |  8 Pagespower and confidence when it came to making decisions and dating. T.S Eliot conspicuously introduced a complex interpretation of a simple concept and sentiment. In Theodore Roethke’s â€Å"The Light Comes Brighter†, a familiar sense of clarity showed the upcoming change in seasons. By shifting into a new season as the poem proceeded, Roethke helped convey his thoughts and stance on the influence of nature in human culture. His peculiar word choice brought forth a new and interesting perspective on the