Margaret Atwood
November is almost over, and in honour of Canadian writer and inventor Margaret Atwood, who was born on November 18, 1939, I have compiled a list of Atwood’s best poems with a blurb on my interpretation of the meaning she was trying to convey.
“Eventual Proteus”
Relationships are short-lived because the problem that arrives when people cease to change because all the other person’s layers are revealed, there’s nothing left to attract you anymore. Once you see something you cannot ‘unsee’, and the more you see it, the less interesting it is.
“Cyclops”
Humans have cut themselves off from the natural world because of fear, and have thus become both disconnected from it and utterly dangerous to everything in it.
“Rat Song”
We, as humans, tend to think of ourselves as superior because we are not bestial, but in reality, we exhibit parasitic qualities which we hide and attempt to stifle. Human nature is unlike what we perceive it as, which results in barbarism and hypocrisy. There is a vast difference between appearance and reality, and what we perceive ourselves to be versus what the world sees us as.
“Spelling”
Women must battle the conflict between external pressure and internal passion by learning to give birth to their own ideas and empower their voice.
“Postcards”
There is a discrepancy between objective and subjective states state of the world because of the emotional state of the viewer.
“A Sad Child”
You think you are the only one who experiences sadness, but it is a necessary part of everyone’s life at one point or another. You have to accept and work towards overcoming this sadness or you will face the detrimental effects.
“Cressida to Troilus: A Gift”
Men and women’s relationships in consuming carnal desires create gluttony and disconnection and resentment towards oneself.
“A Fire Place”
Human tendency to assign emotional values to things that inherently have no emotional value.
“Up”
Nothing is stopping you from acting but yourself, so forgive yourself and let go in order to move on. Work towards change before it is too late.
“White Cotton T-Shirt”
Individuals experience moral confusion when ignorance is replaced with knowledge. Individuals will try to remain ignorant in an attempt to stay innocent and hold on to a past life, but innocence can never be truly maintained.
