Women Can do the Same Job as Men in Susan Donnelly’s Poem, Eve Names the Animals

Susan Donnelly’s “Eve Names the Animals”, is a short poem written to try to show the independence and importance of Eve which is not shown in the biblical story in Genesis. She uses this as her platform to show that women are able to do the same jobs as men, and that even one of the most important jobs, naming the animals, could be done by a woman. Eve feels as though Adam went about naming animals carelessly, and only named them based on appearance. It is a story of attempted separation and self identity, things that many people will struggle with in their lives. The story of Adam and Eve is used to help people better understand Donnelly’s views on women’s rights and abilities.

The main theme, to me, is Eve’s attempt to separate herself from Adam. She states in lines 12-14 that, “The name he gave me stuck me to him. He did it to comfort me, for not being first.” This basically says that she will always be associated with him, because he named her along with the other animals, which made her seem less important. I feel that although she was named by Adam, God gave her the same abilities as a man, and she had every right to use them. God created man and woman equal, and I do believe that everyone should have equal rights to do as they please without limitations or restrictions.

The author shows Eve as a very detail oriented and caring person. She takes to the animals, and even at one point says that, “Poor finch...not wanting either of us to be ever alone.” I feel that she is trying to make her a sympathetic character that is alone in this world. To me, she puts herself in this spot by secluding herself instead of trying to work with Adam. All that she had to do was tell Adam that she was going to get more involved, and I think h...

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...ed off of the actions of one person. I feel that every human is made independently with their own perceptions and intentions, and one person’s decisions can not be indicative of the group itself.

When it comes down to it, women are just as capable as men in every aspect, in my opinion. Donnelly used a story that is a great example of the struggles that women have faced since the beginning of man. While she does attack men to a certain extent by saying Adam was careless, she is not ignorant with her statements, and only wants her ideas to be heard and taken seriously. We all struggle with finding our place in the world, and the best way to do so is to make your own path and do what is best for you. I like this story because it shows someone doing what they felt was right no matter what others thought, a common theme for living during the time that this was written.