Introduction:
‘Suburban by John Ciardi’ and ‘The Secretary Chant’ by Mage Piercy are poems which are full of life experiences and are also replete with satire. This analysis attempts to convey certain messages and subtle lines which demonstrate that they are truly poems of the world.
"Suburban" by John Ciardi ,
“Yesterday Mrs. Friar phoned."Mr. Ciardi,
how do you do?" she said. "I am sorry to say
this isn't exactly a social call. The fact is
a large repulsive object in my petunias."
John Ciardi’s poem focuses on some intriguing aspects especially with regard to some sexual orientations especially with the parallel between a girl and a dog. Ciardi has some intriguing points especially when he satirizes dogs with regard to their dirt and the way this is scooped up. Mrs Friar continues focusing on the turd and this intriguing parallel with resurrection is also focused quite dramatically.
Basically Ciardi is stating that even the dog’s dirt is buried in the earth and is eventually resurrected like all of us. She says that she loves dogs but cannot continue to tolerate certain aspects of the animal. Interestingly the final line states that ‘when even these suburbs shall give up their dead’. Here Ciardi focuses on the innocence of his dog but he is also satirizing the eternal stupidity of Mrs Friar who has the temerity to phone him complaining about his dog passing his dirt in her petunias.
The choice of the flower is also intriguing in that it is the petunia, which is the flower of purity which also shows that the dog has stained the petunias with its dirt. How can one explain this accordingly? Ciardi is extremely skilful at focusing on the satirical aspects of the story demonstrating too that he has to clean the dirt from the petunias. However the real laugh is the way he describes how the dirt can actually be checked from the dog and if it is really his dog who has performed the fatal deed.
It is really a fine poem in every respect and demonstrates Ciardi’s cutting edge and razor sharp satire in every respect. The final stanza is also demonstrative of his power to shock and his message is that one has to look at life’s problems in a different way than just negatively.
"The Secretary Chant" by Marge Piercy
In the Secretary Chant, Marge Piercy focuses on the boring life of this person who has nowhere to go and nothing much to do with her life. She has to endure the daily drudge of a secretary’s life which is truly boorish without much ado and without much hope. Her lines are full of recalcitrant reflections on life which is almost suicidal. She satirizes her life with a lot of interesting quips especially with regard to her relationship with her boss.
Piercy crafts a lot of her writing based on the satire one perhaps find in other poems such as Ciardi and also Shakespeare. She brings about a certain pathos in her writing, a certain wistfulness although satire is also present in this aspect. One can also compare what happens in ‘The Crooked Inheritance’ where the life of the secretary is a consistent drudge and she cannot really continue going on in life working in this manner. However there are certain positive aspects in the future of the secretary who continues to live her life without much problems and without much happiness but she is fulfilling something which at the end of the day is what life is all about.
Finally Piercy encapsulates the fire of the independent woman in her belly and demonstrates that life is not a bed of roses and this has to happen in the context of an ever changing society. Perhaps she can be slightly brutal in some of her writings but at the end of the day she can truly demonstrate the cutting edge of her poetry and prose by cutting to the heart of the matter. Although one may agree that satirism is not always successful in conveying a message, Piercy is truly wonderful in her direct poetry in conveying the secretary’s message.
My mother swore ripely, inventively
a flashing storm of American and Yiddish
thundering onto my head and shoulders.
My father swore briefly, like an ax
descending on the nape of a sinner.
This excerpt from ‘Swear It’ also shows Piercy’s powerful analysis of a situation where the conflagration between the American and Jewish way of life is portrayed. This parallel is interesting with Piercy’s poem on the Secretary’s Chant as the customs and lives of the Jewish nation which may also offer a sense of hope and a sense of hopelessness at the same time
Both poems are extremely powerful and direct and show that life can be made much easier when a certain amount of satire evolves. Finally both Piercy and Ciardi in their own different ways demonstrate that life cannot be a bed of roses and there is also the aspect of satire to consider in all of one’s life. Like the great poets such as Shakespeare and Dryden before them, both modern poetns show that satire remains a hugely important aspect of any self respecting poet’s curriculum.
Woody Allen: Old Saybrook
This story explores well known Allen themes such as satire and comedy and is probably one of his best loved works. It satirizes the situation at a train station in Conecticut with several people waiting to go to work accordingly and focuses also on the alienation one feels when this occurs. It is an excellent short story bringing together various themes of loneliness and laughability but is also quite dramatic in its final lines.
Conclusion:
All three works are full of satire and extremely interesting to read as they focus on certain simple issues in life.
Works Cited:
Myers M; The Compact Bedford; 8th edition 1999; New York, Bedford St Martins, Print
Ciardi, John (Vol. 129) - Introduction.Contemporary Literary Criticism. 2009, Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 129. Gale Cengage, Print
Joan Ross Acocella ; The Cult of Language: A Study of Two Modern Translations of Dante. . 1974; Modern Language Quarterly:140-156; DOI:10.1215/00182702-35-2-140. dukejournals.org, Web
Jack Thomas: First of all a poet; May Sarton; Renowned for her novels and journals, she treasures her poetry the most. 1992, Globe Staff. The Boston Globe, Print
