Daystar

Adam J. Greenberg

English 105

7/23/2007

The Morning Star

Rita Dove's poem Daystar really gives the reader a lot to think about. At first, we learn about a woman who seems to be under a lot of stress, some sleeping children and a man that takes what he desires from the woman. Through the use of specific words and phrases the reader is intended to make initial assumptions about the characters. However, after reading the poem a few more times, evaluating and scrutinizing the words and phrases, we begin to realize the possible alternative messages. The words Rita has chosen in her poem make a profound impact on the reader. If the word and phrases are dismissed in their face value, the reader may not see the true meaning; However if scrutinized and researched, the writings can take on new meanings. There are some parts of the story that cannot be interpreted, such as we know the woman seeks time alone: "She wanted a little room for thinking:" (1), we also know there is at least one infant in the house: "but she saw diapers steaming on the line" (2) and she is probably waiting for the diapers to dry. With this sentence: "a doll slumped behind the door" (3), we know there is at least one toddler or young child in the house and ironically, slumping is what she wants to do behind the garage. Lastly, we know the children are napping and she has about an hour before they wake. These facts cannot be interpreted or refuted.

When we read Daystar for the first time, we learn about a woman, some children and a man. In the opening stanza, our mind convinces us that this woman is a mother by Rita's use of the phrases "diapers steaming" (2), "doll slumped"(3) and "children's naps"(5). Rita further enforces the woman to mother relationship with the visualization of the child appearing at the top of the stairs: "And just what was mother doing out back with the field mice?" (14-15). These words and phrases together are critical to the enforcement of the woman to mother relationship. As the poem continues, we begin to understand the depth the of woman's daily struggle to find some peace and time to herself. The use of the word "lugged" (4), has a profound impact on the story. She didn't carry, pull, push or haul the chair, she lugged it, suggesting that it was a burden to carry the chair out behind the garage. Once the woman reaches her destination, she seems to head off to her own world, staring at anything that was of interest, "the pinched armor of a vanished cricket" (7), "a floating maple leaf" (8). These are indications that she is mentally and physically fatigued, only able slump in a chair and let her mind wander. Rita further enforces this fatigue: "Other days she stared until she was assured when she closed her eyes, she'd see only her own vivid blood" (8-11). The use of "Other days" tells us that this is nothing new for this woman, and again Rita enforces this notion by the line "And just what was mother doing out back with the field mice?" (14-15). How did Liza know mother was out back with the field mice unless she has done this before? In the last stanza, when Rita writes, "Later that night when Thomas lurched into her," we naturally assume this is the husband, because of Rita's reference to motherhood, but yet there is no direct usage of the word "father" or "husband" by Rita. As Rita writes, "she would open her eyes and think of the place that was hers for an hour - where she was nothing, pure nothing, in the middle of the day" (18-22), the reader realizes the woman is truly not happy with her life, but finds the means in which to deal with it.

Another look into this poem presents a whole different story. Is this woman the mother of the children? We often call caretakers "Mother" for the roll they play in our development. We all need time to ourselves, parents included, but there is a difference between spending time in another room and spending time out behind the garage. This may be a telltale sign that the woman is merely a caretaker and not the mother of the house. Rita's use of the word "Pouting" in her description of Liza may be another sign to the reader that the woman is not the mother of the children, but may be Liza's mother. Who is Liza? Rita makes no mention of this and we are left to assume she is one of the napping children. If indeed Liza was napping, and assuming she just woke from her nap, why is she pouting? Why did Rita not write "...before Liza appeared at the top of the stairs, wondering if mother was out back with the field mice again", as this would clearly indicate the woman was the mother of the children. Since is it not the latter, we can only speculate about Liza. If indeed the woman is merely the mother to Liza, then our understanding of her fatigue is clear. The woman is not only taking care of her own child, but also the infant child and toddler of the house. When the