“My Mother Enters the Work Force” by Rita Dove

Author Background
1. Rita Dove, b. 1952, Akron, OH.
  1. 2nd African-American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. (1987)
    1. In 1993, she was named U.S. poet laureate, becoming the youngest and first African- American. She served in that position from 1993 – 1995.
      1. Technically, first to serve in role since the name was changed to Poet Laureate.
        She was one of the first poet laureates to treat the role as a reason to advocate for the arts.
      2. Dove is currently the Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Poem Background
1. Published in "On the Bus with Rosa Parks", a book of poems published in 1999.
  1. Dove was known for mixing personal and historical elements into her poetry.
  2. Listen to Dove in an interview about this poetry collection.
Poem Breakdown
Poem Analysis
1. Structure
  1. 27 lines
    1. 4 irregular stanzas
      1. Last stanza is a non-rhyming couplet
        No rhymes
        Irregular structure, paragraph-style
2. Perspective
  1. This poem is written from the perspective of a girl talking about all of the ‘work’ it took just for her mother to enter the work force.
3. Poetic Devices
  1. Simile
    1. “velvet deep as a forest.” (Line 15)
  2. Metaphor
    1. “paid for by a lucky sign”
      1. Her mother was able to go to school, because she noticed a sign for potential work.
  3. Imagery
    1. Sound imagery –> constant movement related to constant work/effort
      1. Locomotive whir of the treadle machine
        “clack and chatter” of the office machines
  4. Personification
    1. “And now and now sang the treadle,” (Line 16)
      1. “all morning at the office machines, / their clack and chatter” (Lines 19 & 20)
        The machines are so familiar that they have human-like characteristics.
  5. Hyperbole
    1. “that would go on forever” in reference to her mother’s efforts to graduate business school and become a quick, perfect typist.
Poem Themes
1. Mother/Daughter Relationship
  1. The female speaker is looking back on her mother’s life.
    1. There is a certain pride when she speaks about her mother’s efforts, especially her excellence at the alterations shop.
2. Work
  1. The mother cannot simply enroll in business school.
    1. She has to take on all types of work to be able to afford the tuition.
      1. This poem describes all the work that women might go through if they want to get an education and “enter the work force” with an office job.
3. Perfection/Precision
  1. There are parallels between the work the mother does with alterations and her education as a typist in business school.
    1. She must perfect her typing just like she has perfected her ability to alter sleeves.

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“My Mother Enters the Work Force” by Rita Dove

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