Examining Past and Current Views of Femininity Through Poetry

Woman in today's society still feel the resonance of traditional restrictions which have been placed upon them for many centuries past. In Gwendolyn Brooks' poem, "A Song in the Front Yard", and the memoir "Tar Beach" by Audre Lorde, we begin to see that the "sexual revolution" of the 1960's and 1970's is long gone. Though this revolution has made society more accepting of women owning their sexuality, these two pieces of literature still hold significance in the statements they make, and opinions they evoke. I will explore the reasons why the statements these two pieces of literature make are still valid in today's society.

First, let us examine Gwendolyn Brooks' poem, "A Song in the Front Yard". In the poem, a young girl feels trapped as her mother attempts to shield her from what is in the "back yard". The poem concludes by making reference to "...brave stockings of night-black lace..." and "...paint on my face..." After reviewing the poem, it becomes clear that what her mother is sheltering her from is her sexuality.

At one point Brooks says, "A girl gets sick of a rose." This line in the poem demonstrates how the daughter feels girls must act in her mother's world; feminine, demure, and untainted, like a rose. By saying that she is "sick of a rose", the author shows us her frustration with having to act as her mother, whom represents society, deems appropriate.

The girl longs to be adventurous and emulate the girls her mother disapproves of because of the freedom she sees in their lifestyle. She makes reference to "How they don't have to go in at quarter to nine," and "They have some wonderful fun." She repeatedly explains how she thinks "...it's just fine..." and she would "...like to be a bad woman, too." When we combine this sense of need for experimentation with the references to sexual objects such as stockings and make-up, we can see that what is in the back yard is most certainly female sexuality.

Whereas the meaning behind the words in "A Song in the Front Yard" speak to the repression of women's sexuality, "Tar Beach" by Audre Lorde, speaks to the way in which society punished those who don't conform to it's definition of feminine sexuality; specifically if a woman is a lesbian. In the memoir, we follow Lorde through the aftermath of a break up into a new sexual relationship with Afrekete. Specifically, the memoir explains their relationship in detail, paying close attention to the ways in which the experience has changed the author. By the end of the piece, Lorde is over her previous relationship, and has become a confident, black lesbian using Afrekete as her model.

The fact that Lorde showed insecurity with her identity as sexual being speaks to the issue of repressed feminine sexuality. For instance, Lorde makes several references to her ineptness as a lover. When she is contemplating sex with Afrekete she says, "I was the idiot playing at being a lover..." As a woman, society has taught Lorde that men are to lead. Lorde even says, "I never knew whether to lead or to follow..." Therefore, in a female-female relationship, Lorde has been left confused by an upbringing which has taught her that her sexual preference is wrong; whether it explicitly said lesbianism was improper or not.

In addition, Lorde highlights the fact that lesbianism is not accepted by society in the 1950s. "...we had to bite our tongues and stay silent," she explains. However, the reason these women had to "stay silent" was not simply their sexual orientation; they were expected to stay silent about their sexuality in general. Traditional family values were still very alive and well in this era. Therefore, if a woman was unmarried and having sex she was shaking the very foundation of what a woman's role was; if she chose to have unwed sex with another woman, that was only another step beyond the boundaries of society.

Although these two pieces of literature were written at a time we would like to think is far in the past, the theme they both emphasize, repression of female sexuality, is still rather prevalent in today's patriarchal society. First, Brooks' poem explains how women's behaviors are defined and regulated by society. Moreover, Lorde's memoir shows us how society reacts to women's rejection of these behaviors. Both authors combine, to give us the whole picture of society's repression of a woman's sexuality.