Title: Motherhood
1Motherhood
In
The Angry Woman
A poem by Anna Wickham
By Charity Liu
2Anna Wickham (1884 -1947)
- Anna Wickham was the pseudonym of Edith Alice
- Mary Harper.
- In 1906 she married Patrick Hepburn who was
- interested in Romanesque architecture and
- astronomy.
- The marriage was a turbulent one.
- Patrick thought women should be homemakers and
- resented his wifes commitment to her poetry.
Anna Wickham (1/2)
3Anna Wickham (1884 -1947)
- She longed for children.
- She had a miscarriage and a daughter who died
- within moments of birth.
- Then, she gave birth to four sons. In 1921 her
third - son died of scarlet fever.
- In 1947, she hanged herself.
Anna Wickham (2/2)
4Identity
- Woman
- ? Bodily / Physically defined
- ? I am a woman, with a womans parts
- ? I am a woman in my speech and gait
- I have no beard
- ? Blameless for naturally born woman
- ? I have no beard (Ill take no blame
for that)
Identity (1/3)
5Identity
- Mother
- ? Source of motherhood
- ? marriage
- ? because of marriage, I have
motherhood - ? based on love rather for men
- ? And of love I bear children
- ? Do not ask my weakness as a
sacrifice to - power
Identity (2/3)
6Identity
? Pregnancybearing children ?
honor ? miracle ?
physically weak and suffered ? In
the days of bearing is my body weak
? bodys pain ? togetherness and
intimacy ? In many things are you
son and I apart But there
are regions where we coincide
Where law for one is law for both
Identity (3/3)
7Causes of Anger Confinement
- Sex female or male
- ? Woman
- ? totally sexualized, trapped in sex
woman - ? In many things are you woman
and I - apart
- Where law for one is law for
both - ? There is sexless part of me that
is my - mind
Confinement (1/8)
8Causes of Anger Confinement
? Marriage ? bond
1. being mastered ? But why
because I do you husband
service, should you call me slave?
? Where law for one is law for both
2. wearing a mask ?
If I must own your manhood synonym
for every strength.
Then must I lie
Confinement (2/8)
9Causes of Anger Confinement
? manhood 1. Man
with power of manhood controls all.
? In marriage there are many mansions
Shall you rule all the houses of your
choice Because of manhood or
because of strength?
(mansions may be bodies/persons of the
family or every aspect in
marriage )
Confinement (3/8)
10Causes of Anger Confinement
2. Sex male, not strength
ability, decides who has the
power. ? If sex is a
criterion for power, and
never strength, What do
we gain by union? ? union
1. Nothing is owned ? I
lose all, while nothing worthy is so
gained by you
Confinement (4/8)
11Causes of Anger Confinement
- Body
- ? Womans body as weakness and definition
- ? Bodys love brings bodys pain
- ? Bodily relationship taking care of
children - ? Shall I for ever brush my infants
hair? - Cumber his body in conceited
needle-work?
Confinement (5/8)
12Causes of Anger Confinement
- Traditional Framework
- ? Marriage / Motherhood
- ? mentally humiliated
- ? But why because I do you
service, should - you call me slave?
- ? And how can I serve my son, but
to be - much self
- ? center or wholeness of her life
- ? That motherhood is much, and
yet not all -
Confinement (6/8)
13Causes of Anger Confinement
? abstract / superficial mothering
1. Abstract name ? I
am not mother to abstract Childhood,
but to my son ? A
fantastic creature like a thing of dreams
2. Dutieshousework 3. Leads
to disattachement with her son ?
Or shall I save some pains till he is
grown? ? Why
should dull custom make my son
my enemy
Confinement (7/8)
14Causes of Anger Confinement
? Privilege of manhood ? leaving
her ? So that the privilege of his
manhood is to leave my house
? Or shall I save some pains till he
is grown? ? Lack of education ?
You husband would hold knowledge from
me because I am a mother ?
Power should be added to power(v.) ?
That mother/hood has so great an eye it has
no head
Confinement (8/8)
15Claims for Her Motherhood
? Mind gt Body ? Thought ?
sexless, free ? mentally strong ?
Heart, love (spiritual love, good affection)
? woman need it ? Kiss me
sometimes in the light ? Let me have
flowers sometimes ? value for her son
? He will find more joy in laughter
Claims (1/5)
16Claims for Her Motherhood
- Trueness gt Disguise
- ? Be true self
- ? Let me speak my mind in life and
love - ? she does not want to lie, to do
things - falsely, be a mime and be of
pretence - ? Are you content to be from henceforth
only - father, and in no other way a man?
- ? Frank love
- ? And sometimes let me take your hand
and - kiss you honestly
Claims (2/5)
17Claims for Her Motherhood
- Spiritual Attachment gt Physical Care
- ? Spiritual love
- ? And love, which has no more
matter in it - than is in the mind
- ? Good affection
- ? Intelligent enrichment
- ? If he is my true son,
- He will find more joy in number and
in laughter
Claims (3/5)
18Claims for Her Motherhood
- Strength / Ability gt Sex female
- ? Be Wise
- ? She is as good as men or even better
- ? You calculate the distance of a
star - I, thanks to this free age can
count as - well
- And by the very processes you
use - When we think differently of
two times - two,
- Ill own a universal mastery
in you!
Claims (4/5)
19Claims for Her Motherhood
? Necessary for being a mother
? Rather for this reason I am a mother
let me be wise, and very
strong ? Show him the
consolation of mathematics ? Be Strong
? mentally strong ? To have power
? Power should be added to power
Claims (5/5)
20Conclusions
- As a woman, wife and mother
- She redefines her motherhood opposing that of
- traditional stereotype given by the society.
- She asks for fairness and equality with men, and
- shows the confidence of her capability.
- She asks for being self and to have her voices.
- She values whats under the surface, such as
mind, - love, self, knowledge and affection.
- In her motherhood, she not only can give her son
- the traditional mothering but also what men
can - give.
Conclusions (1/1)
21Text from
Ingman, Heather, ed. Mothers and Daughters in the
Twentieth Century A Literary
Anthology. New York Columbia
University Press, 2000.
Source (1/1)