I Being Born a Women and Distressed

I Being Born a Woman and Distressed

"I, being born a woman and distressed' by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, is an impacting sonnet that tries to get a political point across alongside a personal one. It talks about what it is to be a woman of the 20th Century (the poem was written in 1923) and how a Patriarchal Society just isn't to her preference. Also, this sonnet is written in first person narration, though, it is still not clear whether the narrator is the author or not. Nevertheless this doesn't stop the narrator, whoever she may be, from expressing a variety of different emotions, thoughts and feelings. They range from lust, confusion and desire to stress, a condescending attitude and the idea of carpe diem. It is altogether possible that she wrote this poem out of a whim to do so or she's using it in an ironic way to get a political point across. The political point being about feminism and the Patriarchal society in which she lived.

In the poem, Millay uses the old style of an Italian sonnet. These were traditionally used by male poets during the 17th Century to describe human nature and the emotions of love and lust. The lust was also explored through the idea of carpe diem (seize the day) in which to make the most of your days you have to use your body to its highest use. This usually was shown through virginal young women becoming experienced i.e. he ultimate expression of carpe diem. Male poets who used the sonnet form usually dealt with this theme. In her poem, Millay rebels and argues against the patriarchal, typical-male, view by using it in an ironic way.

Also, the sonnet is 'split'. There are fourteen lines in a sonnet and Millay has cut hers into eight- (the octave) and six- (the sestet) lines. The point between these two is the turn or the change that the narrator goes through and in the final six lines it shows her being stronger than what she was in the first eight. Iambic pentameter and couplets also make appearances in her poem.

The narrator of the poem is obviously a woman and is more than likely to be a character of Millay's who is talking rather than Millay herself. However it is altogether possible that the character is based on Millay herself. Both women seem to have a passion about feminism and want to make that quite clear. Both don't want to submit to a man permanently and neither does so.

Throughout the poem, the woman goes through a series of different emotions from lust and love to confusion and strife. The lust being described by her as such "Am urged by your propinquity..."

So what she is saying is "I am feeling lust for you when you are near" but in not so many words. However, this is exactly what she's against basically. She knows that falling in love with this man may result in her succumbing to him, therefore being under his control which is a slight form of Patriarchal society. Thus, because she is a feminist it's what she's against. So she is in dilemma or strife with herself between this and her beliefs. This confusion is portrayed though the line "cloud the mind" as if to say she can no longer think straight.

When it comes to word choice, however, Millay uses rather interesting words not normally come across in every day language. I say this, but that's because it was eighty odd years ago that this poem was written, so due to the formality in the English language declining, it's only natural to find some of these words 'odd'. Though, back then, they might have been everyday words such as 'propinquity' or 'frenzy. Also, some of the phrases and words she uses conjures up pictures and metaphors you wouldn't really associate with some ideas such as 'fume of life' which to me is a green gaseous form rising out of some open stalagmite in a dark cave yet is a metaphorical image for a relationship. This is because the fume is volatile, uncontrollable and can evaporate at any moment-like the relationship of theirs.

Due to the use of sonnet form, there are 'rules' or a custom (or customs) that should be followed such as the "14-line" rule and the-common-usage-of-sonnets-to-portray-ideas-of-nature-and-love custom. Well, I say rules and customs, but they're more like guidelines if anything. Another is a hard one to follow; the ten-syllables-to-a-line rule. This makes word choice difficult and I admire those who can do it with ease (or not) because it never fails to amaze me. An example of the word-choice-challenge is: "Am ur-ged by your pro-pin-qui-ty to find". The word of that sentence being "propinquity" which means "nearness". This works, and not just because it fits the rhythm set to the poem due to the syllable limit. Had she said "Am urged by your nearness to find" not only would it be one syllable short, but it just wouldn't have the same effect. 'Propinquity' makes it sound that she is deadly serious about this, she's genuinely enticed by this man. Nearness just doesn't sound right for that kind of strong emotion that she's trying to put across. It wouldn't have done her feelings that she's trying to express justice.

"I being born a woman and distressed"- this being the title and the first line already gives us a big insight into her thoughts and feelings. The first word is (or could be) a direct address to us, meaning she is being completely open and honest with us (/them). She then stresses that she was born female therefore couldn't change her sex and because of her gender she is faced with problems and discrimination. Also she makes it clear that this poem is from a female point of view. The by saying that she's distressed, she attracts sympathy from her audience and makes it seem as though she is a victim of her sex then this ideals continued on in the next line "by all the needs and notions of my kind". Obviously in this line, "my kind" is a direct reference to all the females in the world,