Poem Analysis: Marks By Linda Pastan

Student Dropout In “Marks” written by Linda Pastan, she portrays a woman who reveals the “grades” she receives from her family as a wife and mother. There are various grading scales used throughout the poem, which puts an emphasis on the metaphor being used in the poem. Pastan usage of metaphors, irony, and tone throughout the poem soon proves how unsatisfied the woman is with her husband, her children and within herself. In the opening lines of the poem the reader is introduced to the first grading scale given by her husband, she states, “My husband gives me an A / for last’s night supper” (Patsan lines 1-2). Pastan uses a letter grade scale as a metaphor to let the reader asses the completion of household chores. In the next lines there are more grades the husband has given for household chores such as, “an incomplete for ironing, / a B plus in bed” (Patsan 3-4). This metaphor is used to show how the mother is under constant scrutiny. The usage of the school grading system allows the reader to relate being graded in some aspect of their life whether it be work or school. Also it gives the reader a clear insight on how the speaker’s family feels the mother is doing with her motherly duties. In addition, there …show more content…
The next four lines are from her son, who uses an average grading scale. The speaker states, “My son says I am average / an average mother” (Patsan 5-6). This is ironic considering, normally the parent should be marking the child, not the child marking the parent. The mother is known to be the most important figure in the household. In return this irony lets the reader see the speaker cannot escape judgement from her own child. She continues “but if / I put my mind to it / I could improve” (Patsan 6-8). The depressing tone used demonstrates to the reader, the speaker has high levels of emotional stress. This also shows the speaker strives to be perfect for her family but is

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