The Gift (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Jean Burden
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, New York City, Women, Clothing or dress, Gifts
The Poem
“The Gift” is a twenty-eight-line poem written in free verse. Under the title, Jean Burden dedicates the poem “for Cristy.” Writing in the first person, Burden reveals the nature of the gift in the first two lines: “You gave me the socks/ off your feet.” Possessing a wry wit, Burden parodies the expression “the shirt off your back” with these opening lines. Although Cristy’s age and relationship to the poet are never precisely identified, it seems clear that Cristy is much younger than Burden and that they must be very close friends. In reality,...
[The entire page is 1156 words long]
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