Crabbit Old Woman by Phyllis McCormack and World! Why do you
hound me? by Juana Ines de la Cruz both present two woman's
feelings about the way they are treated by people in their
entourage. However, de La Cruz uses repetitions and strong
punctuation to emphasize on her frustration whereas Phyllis
McCormack's poem is a flow of thoughts with a fast pace and
childish language, revealing her feelings she was keeping to
herself.
First, these two poems present a very different structure. de La
Cruz wrote a very condensed poem, with only 14 verses. However, the
poem is very structured and clearly highlight her ideas. In
contrast, Crabbit Old Woman resembles a long string of thoughts,
all in one stanza and without a clear structure, excluding the
ABCBDEF rhyme pattern.
The language of these two poems is also very different, perhaps
because of their age differences, social class or time differences.
Juana Ines de La Cruz was a self taught scholar from a high society
of the XVIIth century. This can be guessed when she says 'Why do
you hound me?'. At that time it was very important to conform,
especially if you were from a high society. This is why her society
is pressuring her so she acts the way she should. Phyllis
McCormack's language is very different to the other Juana Ines de
La Cruz. We don't know when the poem was written, and who it was
truly written from, as the poet used a false name to sign his
poem.
However, we can imagine that he was from a middle-class society,
as he had the money to afford being in hospital, but doesn't used a
very formal language: 'who dribbles her food'. This shows the way
the crabbit old woman is perceived by other nurses, almost as a
baby. The lexical field of babies can be found in the poem:
'dribbles, not very wise, bathing, feeding, bidding, etc'. This
brings out the childish attitude that people often restart acting
in when they get old.
De la Cruz's language, in opposition, is very different. She
uses lively metaphors and imagery: 'the forged crown of luxury'.
This metaphor symbolizes luxurious material good, that she doesn't
have any interest in.
The tone of the poem can also be put in parallel. The
repetitions and use of capitals for some words in World! Why do you
hound me?: "Understanding..Wealth..Beauty" and the very strong
punctuation: "!, ?" convey her frustrated and annoyed mood. In
Crabbit Old Woman we can also feel a sense of frustration however
it is way lighter and passive: 'see ME.' This final sentence is a
summary of the hole poem and what she wanted to say. The use of
capitals has the same meaning as that of in World! Why do you hound
me?
These two poems are very different in the use of language, the
punctuation, the imagery and other devices. This might be because
of their very different backgrounds, reflecting on the poems they
write. However, they do present some similarities such as the
frustration they are both trying to pass, for being misunderstood
by their entourage.
The language of these two poems is also very different, perhaps
because of their age differences, social class or time differences.
Juana Ines de La Cruz was a self taught scholar from a high society
of the XVIIth century. This can be guessed when she says 'Why do
you hound me?'. At that time it was very important to conform,
especially if you were from a high society. This is why her society
is pressuring her so she acts the way she should. Phyllis
McCormack's language is very different to the other Juana Ines de
La Cruz. We don't know when the poem was written, and who it was
truly written from, as the poet used a false name to sign his
poem.
However, we can imagine that he was from a middle-class society,
as he had the money to afford being in hospital, but doesn't used a
very formal language: 'who dribbles her food'. This shows the way
the crabbit old woman is perceived by other nurses, almost as a
baby. The lexical field of babies can be found in the poem:
'dribbles, not very wise, bathing, feeding, bidding...'. This
brings out the childish attitude that people often restart acting
in when they get old.
