Power by Adrienne Rich Josue Ugalde2/16/14

Title The use of a single word as the poems title only empowers

the word used in this case “power” giving it an ominous feel as the reader has no idea what that word means in the context since there is none.

The word power can have both a positive and negative connotation depending on how it is used. In this poem the title “power” can refer to a positive connotation of someone possibly and unconfident individual gaining power in their own right.

Paraphrase

In the earth’s soil

today a excavating machine pulled out a crumbling piece of earth One bottle preserved covered in amberContained a cure for ever and melancholy it was a tonic For living a long time

Today I was reading about Marie Curie She must have know she had radiation sicknessHer body was exposed for years to the elementShe purified (Radium)It seems she denied it to the endThe source of her cataracts And of her messed up puss filled finger tipsTo the point were she could no longer hold a test tube or a pencil

She died famous denying Her wounds Denying Her wounds came from the source of her power (radium)

Connotation The poem tells the reader about the dangers of power and

about how an individual can get so wrapped up in having power that they can put them selves in danger Form- the last stanza is different than the other stanzas in that it

starts to have less information this draws the reader into the point that the poet is trying to make. The poem starts to slow down and even offers a resolution to the premise present about Marie Curie and her denial of her sickness coming from her work.

Connotation Cont’d Anecdote- the poem includes an anecdote at the beginning

of it to serve as a way to compare people’s search for power one hundred year’s ago and even in the modern world. This portrays how people will never change and their views on power will never change even if time has passed. Also the anecdote illustrates how naïve people can be when they are offered a solution to their problmes.

Attitude The author’s attitude is critical and analitical. She is making

comparisons and bringing truths to the light and to the reader’s attention in order to convey her moral views on power.

“her wounds came from the same source as her power”

Shifts The most obvious shift came when the poet started to speak

about Marie Curie she was previously using an anecdote but then turned towards Marie Curie in order to make her point seem more relavent.

Title The title “power” is used as an ominous warning as to the

downfalls of power and its dangerous outcomes. “It seems she denied to the end

the source of the cataracts on her eyesthe cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends”

Theme The theme of the poem to illustrate a sad truth that some

people get so consumed by their power that they over do it and let it affect them. Marie Curie died because of radiation poisoing and didn’t want to admit how she got it. The truth is that power comes at a price and it’s a price that everyone has to pay.

“She died a famous woman denyingher woundsdenyingher wounds came from the same source as her power”

Related Media This poem reminds me of Macbeth because Macbeth was

driven crazy by power