Week Two: Plath and Clifton

For my second post I'm going to write about Clifton because I did not understand Plath's poem at all.  So, Clifton's poems are pretty graphic and focused solely on what makes her and other women women. In "Poem to My Uterus" she writes as if she loves and hates her uterus, mainly, because it gave her children but it also let her have miscarriages.  She is also upset because it appears that doctors want to take it out and she does not know how she will be a woman without it.   I personally do not think a uterus makes you a woman, it just allows you to have children.  In "To My Last Period" Clifton is upset because she will not have her monthly visit anymore.  She reflects on this as if she is no longer young or beautiful.  Losing her period makes her feel old and like a grandmother.  Losing your period and not having to deal with it anymore should be a blessing not something to remind you you're getting old.  The last one I'm going to write about is "wishes for sons".  This poem makes me think her sons did not respect her because she wishes the curse on them.  She wishes for all the worst situations possible to fall on them if they did have a period.  I do not think wishing ill on others is right.  I wrote a discussion question on this poem.  So, all in all Clifton is kind of a downer and reading her poems was not fun or uplifting more like depressing and uncaring.