Caribbean Advanced

Proficiency Examination
Literatures in English Internal Assessment

Title: A review of Mother Love by Rita Dove

Ohio born Rita Dove creatively explores a connection between everyday life
and Greek mythology through Mother Love. This collection of poems is linked to
issues in contemporary and essentially comes from the perspective of a triad
relationship (Hades – Persephone – Demeter). These narrators tell the different
versions of their tale. Dove’s collection recounts the “kidnapping” of the Greek
goddess, Persephone by Hades, the god of the underworld. She was the daughter
of Demeter, the goddess of Earth’s fertility and Harvest, and Zeus, the king of all
Olympians. Dove efficiently connects their experiences to that of every man and
woman – whether mother or daughter using intricate poetic techniques,
structures, form and language; which work together to make the story being told
easy to decipher and comprehend. Dove’s use of Persephone and Demeter’s tale
makes the collection all the more intriguing, but the deepest symbol is the
violation of the sonnet form to emphasize that men and women are treated
differently.
Mother Love is a symbolic collection. Rita Dove proves herself deserving of
the National Medal of Arts and Pulitzer Prize for Poetry when she violates the
sonnet form in this collection. This violation shows that the seemingly perfect
society is still twisted ideologically. Since sonnets are generally related to
perfection, ruining the structure denotes how females in society are violated and
forced to mask their violation with the perception of invincibility. This way, the
reader understands that there is a deeper meaning of Mother Love that requires
the message to seep into even the structure of the poems. This “violation” allows
for an epiphany that women are struggling to sing in their chains. Further, the
fragmentation in Dove’s “sonnets” represents a mother’s fragmented emotions
when separated from her kin. Demeter exaggerates the fragmentation caused by
the loss of her daughter by refusing to heal herself and creating universal disorder.
Arguably, the fragmentation also represents the way a daughter is stuck between
two worlds after marriage – a connection to her mother and an obligation to her
husband but truly this “experience” of fragmentation is at times a fiction of every
mother’s imagination. Mothers tend to be narcissistic enough to place themselves
on a pedestal, believing they are their children's best chance and which child
“would choose the horror” (Heroes, Line number) of anything else. In a review
titled “Partial Horror: Fragmentation and Healing in Rita Dove’s “Mother Love””,
Lofgren confirms that Dove’s collection departs from the typical myth revolving
around Demeter’s grief. Lofgren speaks of Dove allowing “Persephone to tell her
side of the story” (Page number). “Her [Persephone's] encounter with Hades, far
from the rape Demeter envisions, in fact ameliorates fragmentation, offering
comfort: “it was cold I entered / I entered for warmth” (“Persephone in Hell”, Line
number). Persephone’s experience negates all prior images of rupture and
violation. She has not fallen into an “abyss” (“Statistic: The Witness”) and Hades
has not “sprung out of the earth / on his glittering terrible / carriage”
(“Persephone, Falling”).” This fragmentation was simultaneously ancient and
modern, touching on the experience of Persephone, Demeter and every other
mother and daughter regardless of the era. The same way these images have
sprung from Demeter’s imagination, every mother finds it impossible to believe
her daughter would willingly separate herself from such protection since the
narcissistic ideology of every mother is that mother knows best. The
fragmentation and violation of the sonnet form creates a sense of relief for
woman. It is empowering simply because this collection is perfect for combating
the social issues women face due to the ongoing patriarchal society.
Understanding Dove’s circumstances at the time makes the collection more
comprehensive. Arguably, Dove may have been inspired to write this text because
she was pregnant with her daughter Aviva at the time and she understood the
struggle she will have to face in the future when the time comes to part with her.
In this collection, the ambiguity of many poems shows us that Dove’s creative tale
of motherhood is out of understanding. Dove having played the role of both
mother and daughter in her life, is able to show that all mothers were once
daughters. She tells of the societal destiny for women to adapt the attitude of
mothering, just like she did in line (number) of “Mother Love” - “who can forget
the attitude of mothering?”Interestingly, Dove demonstrates Freudian Projection
since she accentuates her writing from the typical allusive dramatic monologues
giving voice to the plight of mother and daughter by projecting herself into the
two roles since she is now both mother and daughter. Dove creatively reciprocates
emotions of both motherhood and daughterhood by looking backward and
forward in time. Dove recreates and identifies a “cycle of betrayal and
regeneration” which she understands is acted out in the daily life of mortals
timelessly.
Rita Dove’s use of Greek mythology may be a bit confusing to the typical
person. However, her allusion to the story of Demeter and Persephone was
efficient in getting across the struggles of a woman in a violated world – a modern
dilemma. Dove blatantly uses this myth in the titles of several of her poems, for
example, “Persephone in Hell”, “Hades’ Pitch”, “Demeter, Waiting” and
“Demeter’s Prayer to Hades”. Additionally, Dove tells us in the foreword of her
collection the exact reason for the manipulation of this Greek myth: “The ancient
story of Demeter and Persephone is just such a tale of a violated world.” In this
collection, Rita Dove takes the characters of Demeter and Persephone out of the
realm of Greek myth and places them in settings as modern as a bistro in Paris.
Isolating the poem Bistro Styx from the collection and the myth would make it
seem like a simple date between mother and daughter and their queer interaction
after being separated. However, Dove’s precise diction and subliminal allusion
provides the informed readers with a link to the myth, as well as, contemporary
times. Through highly violated sonnets, Dove goes beyond the myth to tell a story
that moves through time and place and navigates the space between the world of
classical mythology and the modern world as we know it: “a world gone awry”.
Another aspect of this collection that makes it all the more unique is Rita
Dove’s use of epigraphs. In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem
that is set at the beginning of a document or component that tells the reader of
what is to come. The epigraphs add meaning to their respective sections of the
text, creating a relationship between content and form or structure. The
sectioning of the poems allows for thematic grouping introduced by the epigraphs
which gear our minds for what is to come. For example, in the first section, Dove
uses a quote from the works of James Hillman to sum up the theme of choices in
that section: “One had to choose, and who would choose the horror?” – James
Hillman (The Dream and the Underworld). Dove quotes an author of a completely
unrelated novel and gives his words new meaning. She creatively manipulates the
work of someone else to make sense of her own allusive meanings. Further, Dove
doesn’t stop there. She supports her theme in the poem Heroes with several
literary devices; the first being a pun in the second line through the word “pick”. In
the poem, the subject picks a flower, but having read the epigraph, the reader
knows that Dove is also trying to let us know that this flower was chosen. This
brilliance is captivating, though missed by many readers.
Dove’s collection “Mother Love” is meant for a very specific audience. It is
meant for the informed, those who understand Greek Mythology, those who
understand the ancient and contemporary struggles of women, and most
importantly – those who pay attention. Dove’s use of Persephone and Demeter’s
tale makes the collection all the more intriguing, but the deepest symbol is the
violation of the sonnet form to emphasize that men and women are treated
differently. However, Rita Dove’s projection of her experiences into her work
allows for a personal connection between author and reader through the
structuring, formation, devices, epigraphs and every characteristic of the Mother
Love collection. At sixty-six, Dove’s brilliance continues to allow women to have
hope since they are allowed to see their struggle “to sing in their chains” being
defended – allowing every mother and child to see he world from each other's
eyes.