Margaret Atwood Marriage Annotation Analysis

Although divorce has been prevalent in history from the beginnings of the Protestant church, it was a choice many are resistant in making. “Habitation” by Margaret Atwood describes a couple who most likely did not marry when the relationship was mature, rather they did it during the puppy love. Now that it is over, divorce is an option, but it is one they are not willing to take. To avoid a toxic relationship the couple starts to learn how to work together. Atwood presents a theme that “ divorce is a route some do not want to take, and one of the only other options is to work through their difficulties” by using cogent diction, imagery, and sufficient metaphors.
The diction of this poem influences the imagery with the tone of the words . They are used to convey the message of how it feels to not feel the spark of love

anymore with the desolate and cold feeling. Atwood states “Marriage is not/ a house or even a tent / it is before that, and colder,”(1-5). Her take on marriage is that it is not a smooth path. When there is a conflict in the marriage, and there is bound to be some, working through the dilemma , no matter how big or small, can be a better option to divorce. Atwood's use of different types of houses throughout the poem that keep decreasing in value. Most people would rather live in a house than a tent. The compelling diction of “Habitation” goes along with its imagery.
The vivid imagery paints a picture of the desolate feeling of being in a relationship that might not have the spark love.

Imagery is visually descriptive wording and the language in the quote depicts marriage in her eyes. ”The edge of the forest, the edge/of the desert/the unpainted stairs/at the back where we squat/outside, eating popcorn,”(Atwood 4-8). The description, which is a part of metaphor for marriage, gives an idea that is not the best predicament, and can be uncomfortable. Imagery relies on powerful diction, however an even greater poetic element depends on those two to communicate the theme of “Habitation”.
Metaphors are an ingenious way to talk about topics such as marriage. In the poem, marriage is compared to many items such as a house, a tent, an edge of a desert and forest, and unpainted stairs.She implies that marriage is not any of those except the outdoor stairs in which the couple sits upon , and ponders how they have survived this far. The end line,” We are learning to make fire,” (Atwood 12), pushes forth the idea a couple with marital problems are not broken and should divorce, but rather bent and can be

fixed.

Separation may be a popular resort for premature marriages, but not those who can not do so have to start to work through their differences. The poem “Habitaiton” is small, yet it encompasess the idea of not giving up on a relationship through its well thought out diction, vivid imagery, and intriguing metaphors well. According to the poem being in a marriage that has no feeling can be dreary . In this situation many couples divorce and the situations mostly solve;however others can not possibly from it being a stigma in their society or there is not enough money between the two. It can be tough to rebuild the relationship on a stronger foundation; however in the end it will lead to a healthier relationshi