Discussion Topic
Possible interpretations of "fair" in Pat Mora's "Same Song"
Summary:
In Pat Mora's "Same Song," the word "fair" can be interpreted in multiple ways. It might refer to physical attractiveness, indicating societal pressures on appearance. Alternatively, it could imply fairness in treatment, highlighting the struggles for equality and acceptance. These interpretations reflect the poem's themes of beauty standards and the desire for societal validation.
In Pat Mora's "Same Song", how could you interpret "not fair" in line 12?
There is a pun, or double meaning, to be found here in Pat Mora 's use of the word "fair." Look back at the phrasing against which it is juxtaposed: the daughter is looking into the "mirror, mirror." This familiar phrasing evokes the fairy tale of Snow White, who was deemed the "fairest one of all" by her stepmother's mirror. As is made clear in the story, a significant part of Snow White's beauty is due to her extremely pale, flawless skin, which meets a particular Western beauty standard. In this poem, the twelve year old girl is expressing, as she looks into the mirror, the complaint that her life is not "fair," in the sense of being unjust. But tied up in this is also the suggestion that it is not "fair" or just that her skin itself is not "fair." She wishes that her skin was whiter...
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than it is and feels that she is not as beautiful as she could be because of her darker skin.
The word "fair" has two possible meanings as you say. One has to do with skin, one has to do with life as a whole.
When we say someone has fair skin, we of course mean that their skin is pretty white. It is not a pejorative term like saying someone is pale. Instead, it is complimentary, meaning that their skin looks nice (obviously, this is only applicable to "white" people). The daughter is pretty critical of the way she looks and so she could be looking at her skin and being unhappy because her skin is not fair.
On the other hand, the word "fair" can refer to live in general and the daughter's place in life. She wants so badly to look some particular way but she can't. It's not fair, it's not right. In this sense, then, the word "fair" (or "not fair") is referring to her general dissatisfaction with her looks.
What are the possible meanings of "fair" in Pat Mora's "Same Song"?
As with much in way of poetry, there can be different approaches offered in the analysis of word choice in the poem. I like the idea that "fair" can reflect to a state of physical and emotional being in the world that the child endures. The fact that the speaker, presumably Mora, articulates this ritual that the girl endures is physical based can help to bring out to what the "fair" alludes. The girl is obsessed with placing her eye shadow and blush on her face. This makeup basic state of early morning being can reflect how there is a greater desire to be "fair" from a physical point of view. In this, "not fair" could be reflective of the desire to be lighter skinned or more socially acceptable. Perhaps, the use of "fair" is in accordance to a social construction of beauty where "fair" is reflective of skin tone and skin color, to which ends the makeup helps to achieve. There can also be a emotional condition to which "fair" can be in reference. The child must awake early in the morning to put makeup on her face and to make herself more beautiful while others, most notably her brother, sleeps. The "not fair" could refer to the struggle that she must endure while others do not have to do this. In order to be deemed as beautiful or socially acceptable, the girl must endure this condition while others don't. It could be in this light where such an activity is one in which she stares in the mirror and says, "Not fair." All the work she must put forth is to be done for something that might not directly benefit her and could be towards a realm that she most certainly did not create. This is where such a being could be seen as "not fair."