Today in class I read a poem by Mary Oliver entitled, "Wild Geese". This poem made me think about the traditional roles of women in society, and how those expectations have come to change over time. In the beginning of her work, Oliver points out that "you do not have to be good", and I believe this message is meant to empower women. The author believes that women should not have prescribed duties, and I believe wild geese function as a symbol of males in society. Males are free, they travel, they can fly, they can be loud and obnoxious. Women, however, are forced to experience the world through their imagination, as shown by the author, "whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination". I believe that Oliver is contrasting the man's freedom and his ability to fly around the world to the woman's dependence on imagination in order to truly experience life.
The poem is also interesting in the way it describes the world. It goes through scenes from nature, as if to say while women and men are living their lives, life goes on. I think this is more of a message to society and a contrast to the egocentrism we, as a society, are used to. How can one not be egocentric? After all, you view your entire life from one pair of eyes. It is difficult to adapt to another viewpoint and think about waterfalls flowing in other parts of the world (nature and life going on) while you are concerned with your own business and day to day life. While there were many similarities between this poem and "Power" by Adrienne Rich, I thought "Power" had a different message on the passage of time. In Adrienne Rich's work, she focuses on the preservation of time, evident through the conservation of the hundred year old bottle of tonic found in the earth. She also focuses on the memory of Marie Curie and her progress in science, saying that her perseverance and stubbornness gave her the power and ability to make great improvements in the field of science.
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