The short poem "Marks" written by Linda Pastan is an extended metaphor which emphasizes the daily struggle most women undergo. "Marks" is centered around the disgruntled speaker who is constantly critiqued on her performance as a day to day mother and wife. The family from the father, daughter and son present their individual grades to the mother. Although her grades were fairly reasonable, the idea of being judged for each activity or chore she was required to do it was hard to formulate. Consequently, the marks the mother received drove her and created conflict with her husband, her children and an internal conflict with herself.
At first, the reader would think the mother's marks from her husband will be a continuous upward spiral of excellence…show more content… The son, who possess some of the characteristics of his father, sees his mother's actions as average however with a little more effort she can improve. The son says that his mother is average which in most categories represents a C meanwhile the daughter gives her mom a pass. Presenting similar traits of his father, the son comes off as an unsatisfied and judgmental child. It could be assumed that the son is comparing the mother to external female forces which he encounter day to day. These women could be easily be his grandmother, aunt, teacher or an admired television actor. As a result, he compares these women to his mother and depletes her grade with certain admiration she lacks. In contrast, the speaker depicts the daughter as being slightly more lenient. She only believes in past or fail and gives her mother a pass. In reality, no parent want to be graded from their children or called average. A parent's ultimate goal is to ensure total happiness and protection for their child but after rendering service and receiving marks like the speakers low self esteem and insecurity is bond to
