Analysis Of The Essay 'From The Poets In The Kitchen' By Paule Marshall

The autobiographical essay, “From the Poets in the Kitchen” by Paule Marshall is an encouraging story about a group of strong women in the author’s life. Marshall’s essay reflects the atmosphere and people that she grew up with and how it has affected her. The author’s mother’s poetic kitchen talks influence her to become a strong woman and write her own personal pieces. Her mother’s wise words and shared controversial topics with her friends were the sources of a future for Marshall. Marshall uses her mother’s kitchen talks to her own advantage, by turning them into learning experiences. I relate to this because my own mother has influenced me and led me to who I am through her own wise words and discussions. Marshall recognizes the importance

At the beginning of her essay, she starts off with a humorous moment between a male novelist and herself. The novelist mistakenly comments about woman writers having an advantage because they grow up around their mothers having “kitchen discussions”. However, Marshall admits that his comment is true because her mother and the conversations that she had heard has influenced her life drastically. Marshall then directs her essay by talking about the most important people in her life, and how their kitchen talks changed her. Marshall represents these women and displays their benefit to her life by saying that she "grew up among poets." because of how her mother and her mother's friends, "talked - endlessly, passionately, poetically, and with impressive range. No subject was beyond them” (Marshall 47). Marshall loved listening to her mother’s kitchen talks because they were wide-ranged and unfiltered. Her mother talked about whatever was on her mind to her friends because her kitchen was her comfortable place. Through her mother’s kitchen talks, Marshall communicates to her readers that influence and family are powerful tools for self-discovery. From her experiences growing up and listening to her mother’s discussions, Marshall was able to grow and have interest in writing and expressing herself like her mother did. “By the time I was 8 or 9, I graduated from the corner of the kitchen

Marshall connects to the words that her mother discusses and lets those words empower her in her own discovery of self-expression. This was interesting to recognize because I was able to connect her essay to my own mother and her words of guidance. In a way, both Marshall’s mother and my mother are similar because of the discussions and important topics that they speak on. Since I was little, I remember my mother and her friends talking about family and politics. Her conversations were intriguing because of the topics she spoke about and the way she spoke about them. These discussions allowed me to grow closer to my mother, but also listen in on valuable guidance. My mother would talk, and I would listen closely and attentively because I respected her words. Both Marshall’s mother and my mother were inspirational and poetic with their words. My mother has always had a way with words, and she speaks with ease and strength. I feel like through her words, she was able to express herself freely with the ones that she was comfortable with. However, I am the opposite, I find my strength in self-expression through written words or song because speaking without thinking too much is difficult for me. Personally, Marshall’s essay resonated with me because of how similar both of our families are. I relate to Marshall because I love to read and write, and it is