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Does "The Clown's Wife" represent the difference between personal and professional lives?

Quick answer:

"The Clown's Wife" does represent the difference between personal and professional lives. The poem illustrates how the clown is a "king on a throne" at work but becomes burdened at home, where his wife then takes on the role of the performer to cheer him. This reflects the common phenomenon of people behaving differently in professional and personal settings due to varying demands and social expectations.

Expert Answers

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This question is a standard "what do you think?" type of question, so you can feel free to agree or disagree with the statement so long as you defend it. I think the poem supports the statement because the narrator does a straightforward job of telling her readers that her husband is a "different person" at work than he is at home. The wife tells readers that the shift in personality isn't even a gradual shift. She tells readers that it happens the moment that he walks through door. He goes from being a funny, high energy kind of person to a sad and worry-filled man. I tend to agree with the poem's concept that people have their home "face" and their work face. Jobs demand that individuals behave in a certain way. Whether it's how a teacher treats kids or how a grocery bagger speaks to customers, the job demands certain behavioral protocols; however, it's not realistic that a person acts that way all of the time. The actions and attitudes that a person puts on at work are similar to getting dressed. A person puts on his suit and tie in the morning as well as the persona that goes with it. Then at home, that person switches to rugged jeans, work boots, and the persona that goes along with finally being in a place to relax and take off the work persona.

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