Putting mother by Dona Stein what comments are about this poem?

Answer 1

The children are exercising their autonomy but do not want "mom" to get away. It is the selfishness of children -- they want freedom yet fear being left to their own devices, perhaps a fear of responsibility.

The mother is "surprised" by what appears sudden and is in many ways. The fact that is it "her" kitchen which the "too tiny" children have invaded indicates their the tension in mother-child bond. That the mother's power (her nurturing represented by the kitchen) is to succumb to the children's desire to be released, and so she slips into the water without a "murmurs," having given up her authority (her voice). The onomatopoeia of the word emphasizes that it is in the background.

The preservation is also an act of selfishness on the children's part, but they do not see it this way. They want mother nearby but not intruding, something ever present but not too present, hence the basement next to the "peaches and plums": things that are desirable but out of season, not within reach but within easy access.

The more insidious theme revolves around this storage element. We want our mothers when it serves our purposes, when we feel the need, so we put them on a shelf, out of sight. A more positive spin on this idea would be that the influence of our mother is ever-present, perserved in our own behaviors and choices--deep within our own thinking.

Answer 2

Putting Mother By by Dona Stein

We are in her kitchen;

we have one enormous

pot and all the spices

are together. We are too tiny and take

so long to sterilize

the jar; finally, more water is boiling, waiting.

We don't have to call,

she hears and comes

into her kitchen. We lift her over the pot.

she slips into the water

without a murmur.

She does not try to get out. We stand on tiptoes and watch

her inside the Mason jar

floating in liquid by bay

leaves and flakes of pepper.

Dill weed floats like a pine

tree around her hair. We look at each other, we

press our noses against

the jar and see she is more

surprised than anything else. Carefully, we carry her down

into the cellar; we store

her next to the peaches and plums:

we have her now. http://www.pshares.org/issues/article.cfm?prmArticleID=458 FROM THE ASKER: I know it's all one big metaphor, about kids "pickling" their mother. Or "preserving" her, because you pickle something so that it lasts longer. And when you put it like that, it's like they're trying to preserve the memory of their mother. But I need to know the theme of the poem (the author's message) and I need to know the style of writing. Thank you!