The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed Her Son by Lorna Goodison

The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed Her Son by Lorna Goodison

The poem is a dramatic monologue. The speaker addresses silent auditors. The speaker is at an emotional/stressful point in his/her experience- examining a social issue exemplified by the situation of the Woman and the Man who employs her son. Note that the title implies that the persona is the “Woman” however, the persona/speaker is an observer of the woman’s situation. The emotion revealed by the speaker is one of muted outrage expressed through irony.  He speaks on behalf of the “Woman”.  The situation is the impending destruction of the life of the woman’s son. His life has been set on this destructive path by “the Man” who he trusted. The persona addresses the man’s betrayal of the boy’s trust and the exploitation of poor youth who are naïve enough to believe that there is a shortcut to wealth. The speaker traces the boy’s life from conception in the mother’s womb to his present circumstances of impending death. However, the focus of the poem rests on the woman and her powerlessness to alter her situation. The woman was poor, uneducated and powerless. Her only strategies for dealing with life are prayers and tears, these methods are presented as ineffective to combat the cruel exploitation of ‘the man’.

The poem addresses the human concerns of exploitation of the poor.

Sound pattern

[  Free verse therefore it is without a rhyme or steady rhythm pattern. The effect of this is to create the sense of conversation.

[  The poem is divided into six sections of eight lines each. The fifth section is marked by SIBBLIANC (s/ sh sound) which is associated with the whispering associated with praying but might also suggest the threatening tone used to the man. DICTION: Despite the seriousness of the theme the language is witty and often employs irony. 

[  The language uses a mixture of English and Jamaica (Patois) speech which adds realism to this unusual Dramatic Monologue.