Compare the predicament of women in society as described in Cousin

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Recommended: Females in 20th century literature

Compare the predicament of women in society as described in Cousin

Kate and The Seduction. How far do you sympathise with them?

‘The Seduction’ and ‘Cousin Kate’ are similarly concerned with the

predicament of women in society.

They are both poems which end up in a negative position, and are

following the trails of a young girl, wanting to be loved, in some

way. They also similarly carry the theme of betrayal. In ‘The

Seduction’, the girl is betrayed by the teenage magazines promising

her the romantic love story she always wanted and, in ‘Cousin Kate’,

the young girl is betrayed by her cousin, who steals the man she

loves. These are the predicaments that both the girls have.

Both poems contain lines which question their actions, ‘Why did a

great Lord find me out?’ and ‘For where, now, was the summer of her

sixteenth year?’. This shows the regret that they had in that period

in their lives, and also how betrayed they feel and the problems they

have now of losing their childhood.

‘Cousin Kate’ tells us the story of how she was seduced, used and cast

away, much like ‘The Seduction’. As ‘The Seduction’ begins, it uses a

lot of imagery to prepare the reader for what may happen. ‘Far past

the silver stream of traffic through the city, far from the blind

windows of the tower blocks’. The ‘blind’ windows portrays an image

of not seeing, and that because something ‘bad’ may happen, no-one is

meant to see or hear anything. Also, when the poem refers to the

girl knocking back the vodka, it shows an uncertain situation, ‘He

handed her the vodka, and she knocked it back like water’.

Both girls at the start of the poem are virgins but lose their

virginity and fall pregnant. The girl in ‘Cousin Kate’, is refer...

... middle of paper ...

...magazines she was reading to have

sex, but there was probably pressure from her friends, as I know that

there is today, and the poem was not written that far from today.

Not only was there great pressure before she had sex, but the shame

and feelings that she was put through from society was extreme, and

this, in my opinion, should not have been placed upon her. Although

similar things happened in ‘Cousin Kate’, I don’t think they did to

the same extent, and, at the very least, the ‘Cottage Maiden’ was left

with something to treasure and that she was proud of. Although

abortions were not a regular occurrence, I still think she was in a

better position to keep the baby. Whereas, in ‘The Seduction’, I

think she would have been forced to have an abortion, or if she had

kept the baby, she would have been under great emotion and also

financial difficulties.

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