"Clinical Therapy"
Here's the Link: http://vinylpoetryandprose.com/volume-4/page-14/ Happy February, everyone! The poem “Clinical Therapy” by contemporary poet Lillian - Yvonne Bertram discusses some pretty touchy subjects while chronicling her personal endeavor towards maturity. She examines how past influences along with societal pushes impact the way one discovers their place in the social order. The poem opens with Bertram reminiscing about her childhood, with imagery of her playing pirate alongside her brother with “a plastic orange sword” (line 3); all the while, they envision their future, wondering “who [their] father will teach to drive first” (lines 7-9). Some of the lines throughout the poem are distinctly italicized (lines 5, 6, 9, 10, and 23); in the first two instances of this, these lines represent positive and playful childhood interactions that add a personal touch to the memories she’s described. The last emphasized line holds the negative tone of societal repression. The two gaze up at the clouds and identify shapes and objects, and it seems that immediately afterward, Bertram is removed from her nostalgic revere when “All that wasn’t allowed comes back again” (lines 12 -13). I interpreted these thoughts that aren’t “allowed” as bad memories or punishments that were beginning to resurface from the back of Bertram’s mind. This line also marks an important perspective shift from the past to the present. In this new “section” of the poem, Bertram introduces the impact that social pressures have had on her self-esteem and awareness. Lines 14 – 18, “It’s the year I repeat haircuts from the year/I wanted to be a boy./No thought to what I could become: cagey”, can be construed in many different ways. I took these lines to mean the struggles of pubescent development in regards to gender stereotyping and identity (which may be a bit too literal of an interpretation…any other ideas? Comment below!). Bertram describes being tired of living the routine course set for her by society’s expectations for young women. She is weary of having to constantly think of what she wants to do in life, and being let down when they are not traditional “women’s roles” or when she is berated for not conducting herself “like a woman.” She wants to “be a boy,” which could either mean that she wants the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms that men experience, or simply that she is not comfortable identifying as a woman (I may need to dig deeper into her background to see if these thoughts are or are not true…). These few lines carry the bulk of the tension that manifested itself following the poetic shift. The last 5 lines help to support my interpretation, as they address the female expectation of perfection being something that needs to be obtained through constant practice, and the “bearing down” pressure many women face to look good and aesthetically pleasing those around them. Make sure you take a look at my other installments in the Contemporary Poets: Lillian – Yvonne Bertram series and post your thoughts below. I’m actively trying to find trends in Bertram’s writing style, but to no avail…perhaps you all can help out! Take note of any trends you see in her themes, word choice, syntax, etc. She has a lot of published pieces, so I’ll have many more analyses in the future!
1 Comment
Alex
2/3/2017 09:55:05 am
Certainly an interesting analysis! Should I leave my comment at naught but a thoughtless affirmation? No? Very well, I interpreted the overall meaning of this poem as the speaker wishing for the right of self-determination and self-expression. The reminisce of childhood is analogous to freedom-before she was forced to be a girl, she could simply be herself. I would take the perspective that she wished for the freedom that men have, not necessarily that she is envious and wishes to literally be a man, but both arguments fall under the idea of being able to express oneself as one feels they ought. I particularly like the line, Do we even think who our father will teach to drive first?", as this explicitly points out her perceived inferior status to her male brother, though she is equally capable as he. This leaves this poem, I feel, as an interesting, albeit not uncommon comment of western society, mingled with personal details.
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AuthorHello everyone! My name is Alecia Guishard. Welcome to Reader's Delight, a site that fosters an open discussion on literature, as well as provides an avenue for my own thoughts on various reads. Archives
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