Sharon Olds Group

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august6star
august6star

In "The Possessive," how does the title of the poem relate to the theme?

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Posted by august6star on Monday October 6, 2008 at 4:59 AM and tagged with sharon olds, the possessive, theme, title.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    The title of the poem "The Possessive" relates directly to its themes. In this piece Olds explores the emotions of a mother who must allow a daughter to grow up. Part of what that involves is the mother shifting how she thinks of the daughter, and, specifically, in how possessive she is of her daughter. At one point she thinks, " My body. My daughter. I’ll have to find another word." This shows how motherhood blurs with affection. Is the daughter hers like her body—something to be possessed forever, something that she controls completely? Or is the "my" in "my daughter" fundamentally different?

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/sharon-olds-salem/sharon-olds-16800...

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    Posted by gbeatty on Saturday October 11, 2008 at 10:45 AM

  2. ajbantan
    ajbantan Student
    College - Junior

    what is the significant human experience in the story?


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    Posted by ajbantan on Tuesday July 14, 2009 at 11:54 PM