study the masters
like my aunt timmie. it was her iron, or one like hers, that smoothed the sheets the master poet slept on. home or hotel, what matters is he lay himself down on her handiwork and dreamed. she dreamed too, words; some cherokee, some masai and some huge and particular as hope. if you had heard her chanting as she ironed you would understand form and line and discipline and order and america. |
study the masters: Analysis
In this poem I feel that Clifton is suggesting that all women are important in the making of America and the upkeep of America. To support this, these few lines make sense, "my aunt timmie...that smoothed the sheets / the master slept on / home or hotel, what the matters is / he lay himself down on her handiwork / and dreamed" This shows that Aunt Timmie is the one taking care of everything that these men sleep on. If it were not for her the me would not have clean sheets that are ready for them at bed time. I also feel that Clifton is showing her readers that women are important in history. As we have read there are very few stories of women, let alone slave women. This poem is showing that women are just as important in the history of America, as men are. "he lay himself down...and dreamed. she dreamed too" This sentence supports the previous thought. They both dreamed, just like the other; just as important. Her son defines America as does the masters, just the same. |