On “to Be of Use” by Marge Piercy
Every time some speaks, he or she shows up his or her feelings, revealing to the listener or reader a lot of things about himself or herself. His or her body language always appeared to look how that person is feeling, for example; the attitude the speaker take the audience, the reader, the language, the subject that speaker’s talks or as well about himself or herself. The attitudes are very important because it shows to the audience he or she is secure on what he or she is talking about.
Expressing ideas, attitudes, fears, sorrows, disappointments, frustrations, hopes and joys and/or experiences make the audience focus exactly on the speaker’s thoughts. Some ideas, feelings, attitudes are presented on Marge Piercy’ poem “To Be of Use”. The speaker expresses their own concept or idea of work. Most people believe that work is hard and boring. What these words explain is not something is received with enthusiasm but is often accepted either by force or obligation.
The poem’s principal idea is the satisfaction to do your work every day and feel great can be attained by using your skills to serve the functions in life, for it is the opinion of the speaker that an unproductive existence has no strengths or significance because is pointless and insignificant. At the beginning of the poem the speaker exposes how the people he loves the best “The people I love the best jump into work head first without dallying in the shallows and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight” (1-4).
Using these words the speakers’ reveals that he admires the people who don’t be afraid with work and how can they don’t procrastinate their goals and duties. Further, the speaker explains “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience” (8-9). Use these idea to illustrate the personality of the people he loves work and the attitudes like patience they have to be strength and continuous in their lives.
The poems narrator continues his description of the people he loves on the last stanza. The speaker declares their idea about work in the world “The work of the world is common as mud” (19). These statements explain us the idea about how the speaker explain their own though about work and how if we were mud we be hard to don’t be destructive and more stronger to stay alive and productive for a long time.
At the last stanza the speaker declares that “Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums but you know they were made to be used. The pitcher cries for water to carry and a person for work that is real” (24-27). The speakers use this metaphor to illustrate the notion that the people he loves work believe in justice and explains that we are all here for a reason. The reason is the work is something real and we have to be prepare to that.
In conclusion, this speaker expresses the idea about people he loves work. In my opinion this is a wonderful poem, goes to the heart of what we all seek to be with those who have the courage, fortitude and guts to “get the job done” no matter what. I believe that the speaker demonstrate that there should be more of those people in this world. After reading this poem I change my mind to see how I have to be proud of all privileges that I have and everyday be better in everything specially in my work.
