“In Celebration of My Uterus”
This poem nods to Confessional poetry for many different reasons. Usually, Confessional poetry has negative tones such as grief, loneliness, or despair. This poem, however, is a positive and celebratory look at her own body. The personification of her uterus (Sexton, lines 1-19) directly addresses a bodily function which was considered “taboo” and therefore breaking stigma. In the third stanza she relates her struggles to women all over the world (Sexton, lines 28-39). These further breaks stigma by magnifying the fact that fertility issues occur more frequently than one may think.
Sexton goes against the social norm of the time by repeating “sweet weight” throughout the poem. This refers to her uterus and addressing it as something to be seen as a gift rather than “dead weight”. At the time women were seen as shameful and should conceal themselves. Sexton took this idea and completely flipped it by celebrating womanhood in its entirety. “Sweet weight, in celebration of the woman I am and of the soul of the woman I am and of the central creature and its delight”(Sexton, lines 11-14) These particular lines highlight the idea that women should not conceal themselves but to celebrate themselves. They also show Saxton’s relief that she no longer needs a hysterectomy and breaking social norms.
“All My Pretty Ones”
This poem is a traditional confessional poem with tones of grief, despair, and anger. Sexton is dealing with the loss of her father and in the process of doing so, she has to face her father’s bad decisions. “leaving me here to shuffle and disencumber you from the residence you could not afford” (Sexton, lines 4-5). This poem nods to confessionalism because it explores deeply intense and intimate emotions that were considered “taboo” at the time. Sexton sheds light on topics like family secrets by addressing her father’s alcoholic tendencies she read from her mother’s diary. (Sexton, lines 51-53) Sexton directly addresses her deceased father which gives the reader an intimate looking glass into the complex and deep process that we call grief.
This poem triggers many emotions within the reader, due to the “roller coaster” of emotion shown throughout the poem. Sexton expresses her anger towards her father but at the end of the day she still loves him and will miss him deeply. In the final stanza, Sexton shows an even deeper emotion to tackle in the midst of grief and anger, forgiveness. “Whether you are pretty or not, I outlive you, bend down my strange face to yours and forgive you.” (Sexton, lines 59-60) This particular line sheds light on an emotional revelation that not many people are able to come to terms with. Confessionalism is an interesting genre of poetry not only because it addresses difficult topics, but because it is intimidating to realize that some of the difficult emotions are relatable.
“Wanting to Die”
When someone thinks of a poem their first thought is not “suicide note”. This poem sheds light on a topic that is unfortunately common but not talked about enough. In this poem Sexton reveals her desire to end her own life. In the first stanza she relates the suicidal thoughts to lust and how that feeling comes and goes. (Sexton, line 3) By relating this feeling to lust, Sexton is expressing how the feeling of suicide is irrational and, unlike other emotions, cannot be tamed. In the second stanza, she points out that her desire to end her life has nothing to do with the world around her, shedding light on the fact that suicide is an internal and silent battle. (Sexton, lines 4-6) The line that stood out to me the most was “But suicides have a special language. Like carpenters they want to know which tools. They never ask why build.” (Sexton, lines 7-9) The reason this line was most impactful to me is because it further reiterates how suicide is not something that can’t be explained unless you are the person feeling that way. It is such an overwhelming feeling that you don’t think to ask yourself “why am I feeling this way?” All you think about is “How can I not feel this way?” and unfortunately for most people, the answer to that question is to end the feeling in its entirety by ending your own life. This poem nods to confessionalism not only due to the fact that it covers one of the most uncomfortable subjects, but also due to the detail that Anne Sexton goes into and how it reflected her own life.
Anne Sexton’s life:
Anne Sexton’s poetry is essentially a mirror into her life, giving the reader a look into her deeply emotional journey through it. She was no stranger to the fact that life isn’t always fair. Growing up with an abusive relationship with her parents, Sexton became very close to her great aunt. At the young age of 19 she had her first child and after her second child she suffered from postpartum depression, an illness that many mothers suffer from even today. After being admitted to multiple mental health institutes, Anne Sexton’s therapist encouraged her to write. Thus began her beautiful journey into poetry, later becoming one of the most recognized confessional poets of her time. Anne Sexton’s life relates to confessional poetry by making her struggles in life the main topic in her poems. She directly addresses sensitive topics such as mental health struggles, family trauma, and reproductive health. Confessional poetry, unlike traditional poetry, confronts the often taboo yet relatable subjects. Anne Sexton blurred the lines between poetry and her own personal life, further contributing to confessional poetry in its entirety.
“Anne Sexton.” The Poetry Foundation, n.d., Accessed 17 Sept. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/anne-sextonLinks to an external site.