TO BE OF USE – MARGE PIERCY - NOTES

TO BE OF USE – MARGE PIERCY

pRANAV – ENGLISH- GOVERNMENT COLLEGE, KASARAGOD

 Marge Pierce’s well acclaimed poem ‘To Be of Use’ glorifies the people who are quite active in their works. Poet praises the industrious nature of people.

   According to poet she likes the people who get in to their actions without dallying in shallows. Poet compares the alertness and engrossment of the humans with the zealous nature of aquatic being seal. She opines that there is something invaluable to emulate from seals, the way it submerges in water and becomes the native of water is praise worthy .Poet feels that constant contact with an action will enable us to have a command over any work.

      Then she wants humans to follow the working principle of   water buffalos which carry out its duty with massive patience. Poet continuously adulates dutiful people by bringing several examples; she has high regard of working class people who work collectively to overcome their crises

    Speaker of the poem dislikes the parlor generals who only commands in indoors and never goes out for the battle; she also has low opinion about the field deserters who shy away from their responsibilities.

     According to the poet work of the world is common as mud., in other words she suggests that success of life lies in the perfection and satisfaction of actions. Effective use of raw materials we get for making an end product determines and designs the future of our life. If we use it awkwardly it will adversely affect the result.

     According to the speaker of the poem beauty of a product rests in its utility. Stanzas such as ‘Hopi vases that held corn are put in museums, but you know they were made to be used ‘signifies the usefulness of each and every products. Antique objects like Hopi vases and Greek Amphora’s are now kept in museums but poet argues that  in ancient times those things were made for some definite purposes, it clearly implies poet’s aesthetic vision on every substances.

    She firmly believes that beauty of any matter depends on its quality. The pitcher cries for water to carry and person for work that is real suggests that speaker disdains an unproductive existence as worthless and trivial.

    Speaker has contempt towards fruitless life. From the beginning to end she admires the dedication and determination of the people who absorb themselves in a productive work. The narrator begins her poem developing the theme the idea of work, done with conscious effort, will power and commitment, her dislike towards lethargic people is seen throughout the lines.

  Celebration of work and applause for the assiduous people and their aspiration towards noble aims are remarkably portrayed in the poem. Narrator of the poem is very well concerned about the dignity of labor and the diligent execution of it. Speaker concentrates more on manual labor or the works done by using muscular features indicates her inclination towards working class sector who strain in the mud and muck to move things forward.