Power by Adrienne Rich

1. Power by Adrienne Rich Josue Ugalde 2/16/14

2. Title • The use of a single word as the poems title only empowers the word used in this case “power” giving it an ominous feel as the reader has no idea what that word means in the context since there is none. • The word power can have both a positive and negative connotation depending on how it is used. In this poem the title “power” can refer to a positive connotation of someone possibly and unconfident individual gaining power in their own right.

3. Paraphrase In the earth’s soil today a excavating machine pulled out a crumbling piece of earth One bottle preserved covered in amber Contained a cure for ever and melancholy it was a tonic For living a long time Today I was reading about Marie Curie She must have know she had radiation sickness Her body was exposed for years to the element She purified (Radium) It seems she denied it to the end The source of her cataracts And of her messed up puss filled finger tips To the point were she could no longer hold a test tube or a pencil She died famous denying Her wounds Denying Her wounds came from the source of her power (radium)

4. Connotation • The poem tells the reader about the dangers of power and about how an individual can get so wrapped up in having power that they can put them selves in danger • Form- the last stanza is different than the other stanzas in that it starts to have less information this draws the reader into the point that the poet is trying to make. The poem starts to slow down and even offers a resolution to the premise present about Marie Curie and her denial of her sickness coming from her work.

5. Connotation Cont’d • Anecdote- the poem includes an anecdote at the beginning of it to serve as a way to compare people’s search for power one hundred year’s ago and even in the modern world. This portrays how people will never change and their views on power will never change even if time has passed. Also the anecdote illustrates how naïve people can be when they are offered a solution to their problmes.

6. Attitude • The author’s attitude is critical and analitical. She is making comparisons and bringing truths to the light and to the reader’s attention in order to convey her moral views on power. • “her wounds came from the same source as her power”

7. Shifts • The most obvious shift came when the poet started to speak about Marie Curie she was previously using an anecdote but then turned towards Marie Curie in order to make her point seem more relavent.

8. Title • The title “power” is used as an ominous warning as to the downfalls of power and its dangerous outcomes. • “It seems she denied to the endthe source of the cataracts on her eyesthe cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends”

9. Theme • The theme of the poem to illustrate a sad truth that some people get so consumed by their power that they over do it and let it affect them. Marie Curie died because of radiation poisoing and didn’t want to admit how she got it. The truth is that power comes at a price and it’s a price that everyone has to pay. • “She died a famous woman denyingher woundsdenyingher wounds came from the same source as her power”

10. Related Media • This poem reminds me of Macbeth because Macbeth was driven crazy by power