Australian Poets

3 Pages 759 Words

The particular poem that I have decided to present today gave Wright’s second book its title and was admittedly written by Wright for her husband whilst she was pregnant with his child. The poem’s title ‘Woman to May’ has several connotations at first glance. Once could interpret it as a woman bestowing certain gifts to a man, specifically sexual favours. Or perhaps the title is a comp0arison or even a challenge between the sexes, on to interpreted more as ‘Woman vs. Man’. The title also leaves the poem open – it can be read and appreciated by any man or woman across the globe.

I believe that Wright’s main purpose in writing the text was to express her feelings about the creation of her soon-to-be-born child. As her primary intended audience was her husband, Wright wishes to convey her feelings about the child they have created, while it grows ever-more inside of her. Her poem not only explores fertility and birth, but also speaks boldly and almost proudly of female sexuality, highlighting sex as a symbol of life.

Wright wrote this piece during 1949, a time then such things as conception and pregnancy were not topics of public discussion. By writing such a piece, Wright took a stance against the social pressures and norms of the post-war years when men were once again asserting themselves as masters of their domain. Wright could be called a feminist, even a revolutionary for composing such a daring and emotive text during such an era. Pieces like ‘Woman to Man’ highlight how no barriers or limits can hold back the power of the written word.

Yet despite Wright’s possible feminist stance, I doubt she wrote the poem with the purpose of educating the male population about pregnancy; rather, it is my belief that she is attempting to share the joy of creation that exists between two people – woman and man.

Wright’s use of personal pronouns illustrates the level of intimacy that she shared with her husband...