T H E U N C L E S P E A K S I N T H E D R A W I N G R O O M

G A V I N B R A D Y / L O R N A C U D M O R E / H A N N A H A R M S T R O N G

Adrienne Rich

Theme

Conflict A prevalent theme of The Uncle

Speaks In The Drawing Room is conflict.

This is represented in the tension between these two disparate classes.

Their rivalry is a cyclical occurence that is ever present in societies throughout the world

Rich wishes to convey this in showing that there will continuously be have and have not classes throughout our nations.

The public unrest of the ‘sullen mob’ is contrasted with the oppulent surroundings of the drawing room.

This is the main source of the conflict, as the less fortunate classes see an unfairness between them and ‘The Uncle’

Theme

Power

This theme is dominant in this poem as we can observe Uncle’s aristocratic power over the lower classes.

In his eyes power is money and those who are without it are to be looked down upon.

He is gazing down upon the ‘sullen mob’ with an air of contempt for them

The fact that he is looking down on them, comes with both a literal and symbolic meaning

Theme

Liberation from Tradition Within this poem, the ‘sullen

mob’ are aiming to begin a revolution against the unfair recurrence of adverse classes.

They are taking action. They stand in the courtyard savagely waiting for revenge

The Uncle, evidently a man of tradition, wishes to avoid this uprising and tries his utmost to reassure his colleagues and family that ‘our kind’ will not be harmed in this petty attempt of enmity.

Symbolism

Men Men are represented in

each of Rich’s poems as a strong, authoritative force in charge

We see the Uncle in charge of the household, the only thing that stands between the dead glass-blowers and murmurings of missile-throwers

Symbolism

Power Can Equal Weakness The ‘glass bowls’ and ‘chandelier’

and all of the precious items the higher class own are fragile and show the fragility of the upper class lives. This is their only weakness is ‘these treasures, handed down from a calmer age’ passed down through the family. If they lose their wealth, they will have nothing and their power in society will be void. They are threatened by the lower class on the verge of an uprising. Rich uses these symbols to focus on the power they had, and how people in power can always be overcome by the weaker.

Symbolism

No Ultimate Control Rich uses outside forces to show how

vulnerable, weak and basically powerless humans can be. In The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room’, we see how the external force is the ‘missile throwers’, the lower class who are starting a revolt. The upper class people can do nothing to defer them; they must simply wait it out in their houses with ‘window, balcony, and gate’. Their wealth and riches can do little for them against the physical strength of the lower class, who are willing to fight for their freedom. The Uncle who is speaking is trying to prepare the family from the oncoming storm, but it isn’t within his power to control or predict it. This shows the fact that no one has complete power, no one can control everything.

Common Ideas

o Dominant role of men in society -

The cardinal motif in so many of Rich’s poems is prevalent once again in ‘The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room’. Only men are mentioned throughout the poem which deals with the friction between the upper and lower classes, giving an effective synopsis of the view at the time that women were not, and should not, be involved in politics.

Common Ideas

- Rising up Against Oppression

Being such an influential idea in Rich’s personal life, rising up against oppression made its way into her poetry time and again. ‘The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room is an ideal example of this. The mob ‘standing sullen in the square’ wish to rebel against the wealthy man on his ‘balcony’, and succeed in inspiring fear in him for his possessions and the ‘frailties of glass’.

Fear The fear of the other classes

and of the oppressed usurping power in the upper classes in particular is prevailing in this poem, while fear itself is a frequently recurring subject matter in the poetry of Adrienne Rich. The Uncle fears for his ‘crystal vase and chandelier’ should ‘missiles.. Be cast’. This trope can also be seen in ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ for example in the ‘terrified hands’ of Aunt Jennifer herself.