“A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy is a poem that uses the metaphor of a bonsai tree to illustrate the societal constraints placed on women. The poem describes how a tree, which could grow to its natural, enormous height, is pruned and shaped by a gardener to remain small and ornamental. This act symbolizes how women are often restricted and molded to fit traditional, limited roles.
The speaker, in a straightforward manner, explains the relationship between the gardener and the bonsai tree, highlighting how the tree’s natural growth is stunted intentionally. The gardener’s care is depicted as an act of control rather than nurturing, which parallels how women’s potential is often suppressed by societal expectations.
Piercy uses the bonsai tree to emphasize themes of power, control, and the artificial limitations imposed on women, preventing them from realizing their full potential and freedom
Interesting Facts About Marge Piercy
Marge Piercy, born on March 31, 1936, in Detroit, Michigan, is a renowned American poet, novelist, and social activist. She pursued a degree in literature from the University of Michigan. Over her prolific career, Piercy has published more than 20 volumes of poetry and over 15 novels, including the best-selling “Gone to Soldiers,” set during World War II.
A committed political activist, Piercy has been vocal about various issues such as feminism, environmentalism, and social justice. Her contributions to literature and activism have been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1991 for her science fiction novel “He, She, and It.”
Piercy is also a practicing Wiccan and has authored several books on Wiccan spirituality, including “Woman on the Edge of Time” and “Braided Lives.” Her personal life includes three marriages, with her second husband being poet Robert B. Silvers, co-founder of The New York Review of Books.
Throughout her career, Piercy has received many accolades, such as the Carolyn Kizer Poetry Prize and the Golden Rose Award from the New England Poetry Club. She currently resides in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, continuing to write and advocate for social justice.
“A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy: Analysis
The poem “A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy is a profound commentary on societal expectations, particularly regarding women. Using the metaphor of a bonsai tree, Piercy illustrates how societal norms constrain and limit individuals. Here is a detailed analysis of the poem:
Text and Explanation
The bonsai tree / in the attractive pot
The bonsai tree, planted in a beautiful pot, represents an ornamental, controlled existence.
could have grown eighty feet tall / on the side of a mountain / till split by lightning.
Naturally, these trees can grow to great heights and withstand powerful forces like lightning, symbolizing untapped potential.
But a gardener / carefully pruned it. / It is nine inches high.
The gardener, representing societal control, meticulously trims the tree to keep it small.
Every day as he / whittles back the branches / the gardener croons,
The continuous pruning by the gardener, who sings softly, signifies the ongoing, subtle conditioning by society.
It is your nature / to be small and cozy, / domestic and weak;
The gardener’s words reflect societal beliefs that women should be small, domestic, and weak.
how lucky, little tree, / to have a pot to grow in.
The gardener feels the tree is fortunate to be cared for, echoing how society views the confinement of women as beneficial.
With living creatures / one must begin very early / to dwarf their growth:
Early conditioning stunts the growth of the bonsai, just as societal expectations limit women’s potential from a young age.
the bound feet, / the crippled brain, / the hair in curlers, / the hands you / love to touch.
These lines highlight the various ways women are constrained, both physically and mentally, to conform to societal standards.
Figures of Speech
- Personification: The bonsai tree is given human qualities, making the comparison to women more vivid.
- Alliteration: Creates a rhythmic effect, e.g., “whittles back the branches.”
- Irony: The gardener’s view of the tree as “lucky” contrasts with the poet’s critical perspective.
- Metaphor: The entire poem is a metaphor comparing the bonsai tree to women constrained by societal norms.
- Symbolism: The bonsai tree symbolizes the limitations placed on women, and the pot represents restrictive roles and expectations.
- Imagery: Vivid images like “hair in curlers” and “hands you love to touch” reinforce themes of confinement.
Summary
“A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy uses the metaphor of a bonsai tree to critique societal expectations placed on women. The poem depicts a gardener who prunes a bonsai tree, limiting its growth to nine inches despite its potential to grow eighty feet tall. The gardener’s actions and words symbolize the societal conditioning that stunts women’s growth and potential. Through personification, irony, metaphor, symbolism, and imagery, Piercy conveys a powerful message about the constraints and pressures women face in society.