"This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams

{Author Bio}
He was born in Rutherford, New Jersey on September 17,1883. He was a famous poet during the Imagist Movement and was known for his new techniques in writing and his subjects centering around the daily lives of common people.

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

There is not much depth or meaning behind the words this peom. Its very straightfoward and uses simple language that allows the reader to make their own assumption on what the poem is about or referring too. The title of the peom says it all-"This is just to say". The author is merely just saying whats on his mind. The main subject is the plum-simple and plain just like the language. The language is short and sweet. The author uses the words sweet and cold to describe the plums. He doesnt go on to elaborate on their description and it contributes to the easy going persona of the poem. The speaker doesnt really feel bad about the fact that he is eating the plum that is not really his. The word "probably" emphasizes this idea. He is kinda like "eh, he wont be too mad I guess". Very nonchalant and matter of factly. The short lines also indicate the careless attitude. The word icebox is also very "straightforward". The short description non elaborate diction helps give the impression that he ate the plum without any real hesistation and doesnt feel that bad about it because it was a good plum. It feels like this would be the type of note my sister would leave me in the kitchen after she left for school. Just a quick note on a piece of paper ripped out of a notebook. It is quick, to the point, and nonchalant with simple, bland language.

"Paper Matches" by Paulette Jiles

{Author Bio}
Paulette Jiles was born on April 4th, 1943. She is an American born-Canadian poet and novelist. Born in Salem, Missouri, she was educated at the University of Illinois in Spanish Literature. Paulette moved to Canada in 1969 and married Jim Johnson. She has 3 stepchildren and 6 grandchildren. She currently lives in San Antonia Texas. 

"Paper Matches"

My aunts washed dishes while the uncles
squirted each other on the lawn with
garden hoses. Why are we in here,
I said, and they are out there?
That's the way it is,
said Aunt Hetty, the shriveled-up one.
I have the rages that small animals have,
being small, being animal.
Written on me was a message,
"At Your Service,"
like a book of paper matches.
One by one we were taken out
and struck.
We come bearing supper,
our heads on fire.

Jiles uses the simile-turned-metaphor of the the matches to convey the the speaker's anger and frustration of the gender roles that were enforced when she was a child. The matches symbolize feebleness and weakness. "I have the rage the small animals have, being small, being animal.”. The speaker, as a young girl, is filled with anger and frustration. The speaker's tone at this point still resembles an innocent child but you can hear and feel the grudging tone and the anger building up inside her. The Speaker is dumbfounded at the mere fact that they (the women) have to stay inside doing all the work while the grown men get to play around outside. The pronoun, "we", that is used in this poem is quite significant. Rather than saying "I", the pronoun "we" generalizes the women and makes them a whole. It's not just the women in this family that do all the work, it is all the women in society at this time. The attitude of the speaker shifts when she says, "I have the rages that small animals have..." The tone goes from being of an innocent child questioning the ways of society to the child growing up and actually realizing and feeling the division between gender roles. The speaker's tone expresses her disapproval with the social norms and treatment of women of the time. “One by one we were taken out and struck. We come bearing supper, our heads on fire.” The speaker's tone here shifts to sadness. The speaker feels despair and hopelessness. They do what they have to do because there is no other choice. This line also represents personification.