The Poor Woman Learns to Write โ€“ Summary and Model Questions

A Poor Woman Learns To Write by Margaret Atwood

GENRE: POETRY

TITLE: THE POOR WOMAN LEARNS TO WRITE

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AUTHOR: MARGARET ATWOOD

Introduction: The poem โ€œThe Poor Woman Learns to Writeโ€ is a simple and conversational poem written by Margaret Atwood. Margaret Atwood, in her novels and poetry, often explored themes surrounding the lives of Native Americans in her home country of Canada .โ€The Poor Woman Learns to Writeโ€ appears to be another instance of this thread in Atwood โ€˜s work. The woman mentioned in the poem appears to be a native American.

Summary/Analysis

The poem is about the anxiety and apprehension of an elderly woman who is writing for the first time at the age of thirty. She failed multiple times and apologised. Yet with her deep resolve, she was able to compose it well. Her face glows with the brilliance of triumph. But to us, the triumph might not be precious. Yet itโ€™s a triumph over ignorance, darkness and illiteracy for an elderly lady.

In the poem, the elderly woman lies with her bare feet, squatting. She is not describing as an elegant woman. Atwood summarises her description with the phrases โ€œnot gracefulโ€ and โ€œawkwardโ€. Her hands are lined and cracked. She is busy in printing her name with a stick.The woman sits very assured in her work. Her face is characterised as a cheerful flower. The poet states very simply that she prints very laboriously with a stick. She seems very positive after many attempts. She smiles and her face glows like a bloom of joy.

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To articulate the theme, the poet makes use of visual images, metaphors, symbols and poetic devices. It allows readers to very quickly understand the theme. It contains a variety of sentence fragments, such as โ€œHer hair concealed,โ€ and โ€œGreat Big Letter.โ€ Maybe this is intended to echo a womanโ€™s own simple, uneducated speech.The old lady can be visualised through visual symbols such as โ€œskirt-tuckedโ€, face lined, grey-dirt and โ€œjoyful flowerโ€. The symbol of โ€˜mudโ€™ effectively conveys the notion that the old woman is working hard to write her name.

The narrator of the poem admits that she does not understand the script in which the woman had written her name. It does, however, give three guesses as to the meaning of the name:

With its vivid description, the readers enjoy the poem. The poem puts the readers into a cheerful mood. This poem has contemporary significance. If anyone accomplishes something by hard work, he or she will reap the fruit of their hard work.

Model Questions and Answers

Q. Read the lines below and answer the questions that follow.

Her face lined and cracked

She looks old

Older than anything

a) Explain the above lines

A) The above lines written by the poet Margaret Atwood describe the joy of learning. She is not described as a graceful woman. Her hands are lined and cracked. The old womanโ€™s face is lined and cracked. These lines convey the tension and fear of an old woman. She is writing for the first time at the age of thirty.

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b) Who is the โ€˜sheโ€™ refers to in these lines?

A) She refers to the old woman who learns to write at the age of thirty.

c) What does the phrase โ€˜lined and crackedโ€™ mean?

A) The phrase โ€˜lined and crackedโ€™ means that the woman is very old.

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