“The Secretary Chant,” by the American writer Marge Piercy, is typical of this author’s work in many ways, particularly in its clearly feminist point of view. The poem is written in a simple, lucid, yet often whimsical style that emphasizes playful, bizarre, but in some ways depressing metaphors to suggest how secretaries often feel dehumanized. The humor of the poem contributes to the work’s success; a more strident, more obviously “propagandistic” tone probably would have been less effective. Instead, by displaying a sort of inventiveness that many readers will find witty,...
Source: eNotes Publishing, ©2013 eNotes.com, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 1199 words.)
Want to read the whole thing?
Subscribe now to read the rest of this article. Plus, get access to:
- 30,000+ literature study guides
- Critical essays on more than 30,000 works of literature from Salem on Literature (exclusive to eNotes)
- An unparalleled literary criticism section. 40,000 full-length or excerpted essays.
- Content from leading academic publishers, all easily citable with our "Cite this page" button.
- 100% satisfaction guarantee READ MORE
