Betrayal in Poetry

Analytical Essay # 63142

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Betrayal in Poetry

A comparison of two poems - Mary Jo Salter's "Home Movies: A Sort of Ode" and Sharon Olds' "The Victims".

1,562 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper compares two modern poems. It explains how these poems both deal with a father that has betrayed his family through inattention and adulterous behavior; however, each poem is very different. The paper explores how such drastic differences arise when dealing with the same topic.

From the Paper:

"An introspectionist doctor is interested in the current mental states of his patients; to fully enter these states for examination, he employs a deep process of introspection. This calculated reflection provides the "vital signs" for the conscious mind just as a stethoscope might uncover those for the heart. Ernest Holmes said that "life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it." This is precisely the principle upon which the idea of introspection works; one's perception of life is simply a physical embodiment of his thoughts, and if he is able to ruminate upon events in his life, his thoughts will become clear. Two poets, Mary Jo Salter and Sharon Olds, capitalize on this idea of introspection. In the poems "Home Movies: a Sort of Ode," by Salter, and "The Victims," by Olds, the speakers are the daughters of men who have caused epochal familial schisms. The women look back upon their imperfect relations with their fathers by way of a mature reflection and pull from this a present significance. While these poems both delve into similar issues, they differ in terms of tone, perspective, and imagery."