Critical Analysis of Sappho´s My Daughter

979 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender roles in greek mythology

There are some things that never change through the ages. Certainly natural cycles have always repeated themselves, but even in cycles there are some things that remain constant. One such constant is the bond found between a mother and child. From generation to generation, this deep and loving relationship has shaped families into what they are both today and in bygone centuries. The ancient poet Sappho captures her love for her daughter, Kleis, in a fragment of poetry wherein she describes the dearness and eternity of this incredible maternal bond using her excellent wordsmith skills.
Sappho begins right away in line one by saying, “I have a beautiful child…” with the verb “have” indicating that the mother has the possession of her daughter. Typically if someone is said to “possess” or “own” someone else, we immediately think of a slave or indentured servant, who is bound to a master that commands him or her. Obviously, this is not the type of possessive relationship being described here. Sappho looks at her daughter not as a thing to be used, but instead as a precious object of deep affection, as evidenced by the descriptor “beautiful.” It is a common saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this certainly seems to be the case here. The fact that the girl is her offspring seems to make her by default beautiful to Sappho, as “have” is the antecedent. “Child,” too, is a word of significance here. It is not nearly as harsh or common as some of its near-synonyms like “kid” or “youngster.” Child is a specific word most often used in affection; indicative of deeper relationship between the speaker and the young person. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine Mr. Wilson referencing Dennis the Menace as “That pesky ...

... middle of paper ...

... Sappho has put the most attractive elements of her poetry in the forefront, making the description of her maternal bond appear more logical by having an ordered poem.
Sappho has put to words a relationship of astonishing importance to her life; that between herself and her precious daughter. Through this fragment of poetry, we see just how important and dear Kleis was to her heart. It is something that could be said true of most mothers towards their daughters, from Eve on down through the centuries, even unto the present day. While it might be thought that the only constant on this earth is change; here, in the arms of a woman, is found something everlasting as a child and its mother take part the time-honored act of love.

Works Cited

Sappho. “My Daughter.” Sweetbitter Love: Poems of Sappho. Trans. Willis Barnstone. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. 2006.

Show More
Related

  • Olds’ Effective Use of Linking Devices in The Elder Sister

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    When writing poetry, there are many descriptive methods an author may employ to communicate an idea or concept to their audience. One of the more effective methods that authors often use is linking devices, such as metaphors and similes. Throughout “The Elder Sister,” Olds uses linking devices effectively in many ways. An effective image Olds uses is that of “the pressure of Mother’s muscles on her brain,” (5) providing a link to the mother’s expectations for her children. She also uses images of water and fluidity to demonstrate the natural progression of a child into womanhood. Another image is that of the speaker’s elder sister as a metaphorical shield, the one who protected her from the mental strain inflicted by their mother.

    Read More

  • "Woman Hollering Creek" - Dreams vs. Reality

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    A woman’s self-worth and self-esteem are vital to experiencing happiness in a marriage. In addition, low self-esteem can cause a woman to feel abandoned because she is not getting enough emotional support from her husband. Cisneros demonstrates this through the character of Cleofilas in the story. For example, Cleofilas often reminds ...

    Read More

  • Toni Morrison's Sula - Sula and Nel as Soulmates

    2111 Words  | 5 Pages

    The greatest influence on a growing girl is her mother, and in some cases, like Sula, her grandmother. In order to fully grasp the connection between Nel and Sula, one must examine who and what their mothers were and what traits and beliefs they handed down to their daughters. Nel's mother, Helene, sought to teach her daughter the ways to be a stereotypical "good woman," a supportive wife and a caring mother. As an example to her daughter, Helene took great pleasure in raising Nel and found in her "more comfort and purpose than she had ever hoped to find" in her life (2105). Helene took pride in motherhood and was proudest when someone complemented on how "obedient and polite" Nel was (2105). Helene's embracing of these qualities, an accommodation to the sta...

    Read More

  • Ovid And Medea

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    As one of the most well known ancient Roman love poets, Ovid has demonstrated bountiful talents within his writing. When reading myths from his book titled Metamorphoses, you gain an enlightening insight of how he viewed mythology. To Ovid, love was the origin of everything. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that most of his poems relate to the theme of love. However, not all poets are the same and every re-telling of a myth has its own unique perspective. In this paper I will compare and contrast the myth of Medea in Euripides Medea and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 7. I will then explain how Ovid’s approach to love and loss correlate to his general approach to myth as a whole. I will support my belief with evidence from Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 14.

    Read More

  • The Mother Daughter Relationship in I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...cts of the mother and the descriptions, which are presented to us from her, are very conclusive and need to be further examined to draw out any further conclusions on how she ?really? felt. The mother-daughter relationship between the narrator and her daughter bring up many questions as to their exact connection. At times it seems strong, as when the narrator is relating her childhood and recounting the good times. Other times it is very strained. All in all the connection between the two seems to be a very real and lifelike account of an actual mother-daughter relationship.

    Read More

  • Egyptian And Chinese Poem Analysis

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literature shows us the changes of our society from time to time. It also gives us an idea about people, culture, politics, gender traditions, as well as an overall view of previous civilizations. As a part of literature, poetry introduces us to different cultures with different perspectives. Ancient Egypt and ancient China may differ in terms of culture, politics, economic stability, tradition, or even in religious belief. However, in poetry, especially in love lyrics both Egyptian and Chinese poems portray common area of describing women, social attitudes toward love, sexuality and the existence of romance or selfishness in relationships. . If we look at the Egyptian poem “My god, my Lotus” and the Chinese poem “Fishhawk”, we will see both poems have similarities in describing relationships. Also, they have the similarity of imagining the lovers and their expression of love toward each other. However, both poems have some significant differences in terms of representing female sexuality, gender disparity and the display of love.

    Read More

  • The Significance Of Friendship In Sulla And Nel's Friendship

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sula and Nel’s friendship in their childhood was beneficial for both of them. Sula’s meeting of Nel was fortunate, because they find a soul mate within each other. They are both the daughters of “distant mothers and incomprehensible fathers” (Morrison, 50). Both girls lack affection in their relationships with their mothers. They can’t find this affection in their relationships with their fathers either, because Sula’s father is dead while Nel’s father is away at sea. They find the affection they need with each other. Their friendship was a way to mother each other. Since they can’ find the support they need from their families with their families they began to support each other and figure out what each other need in their life. The significance

    Read More

  • Byzantine Children's Life Stages

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...otional bonds between children and parents, children and siblings and family kin. How did the Byzantine parents express their affection towards their offspring and, correspondingly, how did the children experience the family love and care? What were the societal expectations regarding children´s attachments towards their kinsfolk? How did the Byzantine authors describe the emotional ties between children and parents, siblings and other relatives? The chapter will address also the issue of tension and conflicts between children and their families. Hence, my aim is to explore the reasons that generated the conflicts, the way in which tension is depicted in the hagiographical sources and how did the children and the parents cope with such conflicts? How did such tensions contribute to the dynamics of the familial relationships?

    Read More

  • Othello’s Copious Imagery

    1923 Words  | 4 Pages

    The elaborate soliloquy spoken by Othello as he approaches his sleeping wife (V.ii.1-22) contains some splendid images, such as “chaste stars,” “monumental alabaster,” “flaming minister,” and “Promethean heat,” but its key words are simple and used repeatedly: cause, soul, blood, die, light, love, and weep. In his last sustained speech (V.ii.338-56), the images are fewer and approached through the simplest words (“Speak of me as I am”) and most blatant antitheses (“loved not wisely, but too well”). (xiv)

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Elizabeth Bishop's Sestina

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elizabeth Bishop’s Sestina is a short poem composed in 1965 centered on a grandmother and her young grandchild. Bishop’s poem relates to feelings of fate, detriment, and faith that linger around each scene in this poem. There are three views in which we are being narrated in this story; outside of the house, inside of the house, and within the picture the grandchild draws. The progression of the grandmother’s emotions of sadness and despair seen in stanza one to a new sense of hope in stanza six are what brings this complex poem to life. Bishop’s strong use of personification, use of tone, and choice of poetic writing all are crucial in relaying the overall message. When poetry is named after its form, it emphasizes what the reader should recognize

    Read More

  • A Parent’s Elegy

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the early seventeenth century, poets were able to mourn the loss of a child publicly by writing elegies, or poems to lament the deceased. Katherine Philips and Ben Jonson were two poets who wrote the popular poems “On the Death of My Dearest Child, Hector Philips”, “On My First Son”, and “On My First Daughter” respectively. Although Philips and Jonson’s elegies contain obvious similarities, the differences between “On the Death of My Dearest Child” and “On My First Son” specifically are pronounced. The emotions displayed in the elegies are very distinct when considering the sex of the poet. The grief shown by a mother and father is a major theme when comparing the approach of mourning in the two elegies.

    Read More

  • Parent and Son Relationship in one of Nye, Naomi Shihab´s Poems

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.

    Read More

  • The Role of Social Class and Society

    2433 Words  | 5 Pages

    The first tradition mentioned in “Like Water for Chocolate” was the role of the youngest daughter as pertains to her future. These women were not allowed to marry. Their duty in their life was to care for the mother as ...

    Read More

  • Mother-Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club

    1520 Words  | 4 Pages

    The rifts between mothers and daughters continue to separate them, but as the daughters get older they become more tolerant of their mothers.  They learn they do not know everything about their mothers, and the courage their mothers showed during their lives is astounding.  As they get older they learn they do not know everything, and that their mothers can still teach them much about life.  They grow closer to their mothers and learn to be proud of their heritage and their culture.  They acquire the wisdom of understanding, and that is the finest feeling to have in the world.

    Read More

  • Father-Daughter Relationship in the Film, William Faulkner: A Life on Paper

    490 Words  | 1 Pages

    While the relationship between fathers and sons has been documented at length, the father/ daughter dynamic figures less prominently in literary tropes; in fact the last canonical piece I can recall reading was Euripedes’ Electra in high school. The tenuous relationship between Daddy and his little girl, however, harbors depths more personal and tangible than Greek tragedy and psychological analyses invoking the Electra complex. The emotionally void or aloof father in particular often burdens the female psyche, for his absence proves just as palpable as his sought after presence, shaping the landscape of a daughter’s future relationships and the construction of a self-image fragmented and disjointed by an early and intimate knowledge of rejection and abandonment. Transcending characterizations attached primarily to filial duty as experienced by the matriarch, the father figure remains the subject of mythologization, just as Sylvia Plath turned her father into a Colossus, a cold, inanimate stone edifice revealing none of his secrets or affection.

    Read More

More about Critical Analysis of Sappho´s My Daughter

Open Document