Poems of Feminism
Andy Warhol Speaks to His Two Filipina Maids
By: Alfred Yuson
This poem created by Alfred Yuson that is about Filipino women as maids to other nationalities and it brings great importance to the society.
Before we start, Andy Warhol was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement, also known as pop art. The title portrays that Andy Warhol is the speaker in the poem, yet we are not sure if he is really the speaker. Andy Warhol could have been intended as a representation of someone who is similar to him in a way that the author would relate Andy to the speaker. All we know that the speaker is American, and he is rich.
“Art, my dears, is not clearning up..”
The first stanza of the poem started with “Art”, and it can mean a lot of things. Based on the flow of the poem, art represents the affair of the speaker to his two Filipina maids. “My dears” represents the Filipina women. By analyzing, it can be said that the speaker and the maids share an intimate relationship between them. “is not cleaning up after the act…Neither it is washing off….” This represents the feeling of guilt between them and how it makes them feel the guilt. The next part talks about “Fills up whitebread sweep of life’s obedient slices”. This represents the sexual desire of the speaker towards the maids. “There they copy love the way I do, as how I arrive over and over again at art.” This line talks about the speaker’s ego, and how proud he is about the affairs. The poem ends with “And it’s your day off.” This means that the affair would stop for now. This shows that the speaker only intends them for the fulfilment of his sexual desires.
This poem shows the discrimination of people in the higher class towards those who are less fortunate. This poem does not revolve entirely about the sexual desires of the master, but it represents the society today that higher class people feed off the less fortunate. Sad reality.
Womanhood
By: Catherine Anderson
Based on the title, the author wants to show feminism by showing the “womanhood” of a child, which is overlooked by others.
We can concur that the speaker of the poem is a women based on the feminist feel to it, and the fact that it talks about the growth of a woman. The speaker describes the events carefully and with detail, which supports the fact that the speaker is a woman. Or just simply, a man who knows a lot about girls. The first part, mainly the first six lines in the first stanza, it is shown that the girl lives cheerfully, and still oblivious to the world around her. Supporting this claim: “..who loves humming and swaying..” As the poem progresses, the girl is in the process of entering womanhood. “where she’ll sew rag rugs” this part shows that she is leaving the childhood stage, and being more responsible. “rugs from textile strips of Kelly green, bright red, aqua” This represents the colorful childhood that she had, and now she is going through womanhood. “When she enters, and the millgate closes, final as a slap, there’ll be silence” shows the girl, entering into womanhood. “All day she’ll guide cloth…. Machines” this represents the hardships in womanhood that she is going through. “200 porch size rugs…”. 200 is a large number and this can represent the burden that the journey to womanhood brings.
This poem talks about the hardships of going through womanhood which represents the strength of women, and that women are powerful. The purpose of this poem is the raise awareness of feminism, and motivate other women.
by: Tristan Juansing 11-Paul