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What are the themes of Eunice de Souza's "Bequest"?

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Eunice de Souza's "Bequest" explores themes of patriarchy, female identity, individualism, and the marginalization of women. The poem critiques societal expectations and the power dynamics between genders, revealing how women's lives can be dictated by men. The speaker struggles with her own identity, feeling stifled by societal standards and a lack of personal freedom. The poem's structure, lacking a specific meter or rhyme pattern, symbolizes the speaker's desire for liberation from these constraints.

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There are multiple themes in "Bequest," including the restrictive power of the patriarchy and female identity and individualism.

The speaker begins the poem with an image she grew up with: Christ "holding his bleeding heart / in his hand." She expresses some disgust ("ugh") for the image but also admits that it is ingrained in her mind as she freely expresses herself to everyone except her hairdresser. Her individuality is then stifled by the image of Christ as the patriarchy who says "take it as it comes" but actually means that life should be taken "as he hands it out." As her life progresses, she finds she is not free to express herself and is restricted by the patriarchal standards of her society and who they expect her to be.

Then, as the speaker appears to get older and has children of her own, she expresses the desire to be...

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like the "Wise Woman" society expects mothers to be but finds that her smiles are "vacuous" and "plastic," because she is not happy with such a façade.

In the final stanza of the poem, she mocks the original image of Christ and the bleeding heart and chooses to "bequeath [her] heart ... to an enemy." She compares her heart to a "spare kidney" because it no longer holds the same value, since expressing what is in her heart causes her pain.

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What is the theme of "Bequest" by Eunice de Souza?

One theme that is exists in "Bequest" is the marginalization of women.

According to the speaker, women are forced to endure endless expectations guiding their "proper" behavior and reactions. Some have recommended that she hold herself to "stern standards," being above society's reproach. Others indicate that she should simply "float along" and take life as it comes. This advice is often doled out by men, represented by the "He" in the third stanza.

The speaker is scathing in her appraisal of men's interventions; "of course" men want women to simply accept their lives and circumstances. After all, the societal constraints of women often maintain positions of power for men. The speaker asserts that while this type of advice might be offered with delicate phrasing, men actually expect that women will take life as men themselves "hand it out." Thus, the lives of women are often subject to the whims and desires of the men in their lives and often do not reflect the nature of a woman's own "bleeding heart." The speaker believes it would be easier to be "vacuous," devoid of the recognition that her own life is simply an offering to those in positions of power.

The structure of the poem is relevant to the theme; it follows no particular meter nor rhyme pattern, representing the desires of the speaker to break free from the constraints of society. In her view, women are much like cheap "plastic flower[s]," outwardly beautiful yet a mere token of the natural wonder that is possible in authenticity.

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What is the theme of "Bequest" by Eunice de Souza?

In her poem “Bequest,” Eunice de Souza explores such themes as advice, acceptance, and self-regard. Let's look at each of these.

In the third stanza, the speaker talks about “stern standards” that other people recommend for her. Still others tell her to just “float along.” Some unidentified person says to “take it as it comes” or as “he hands it out.” None of this advice seems to sit well with the speaker. She wishes she could be a “Wise Woman” who could give her own advice or at least know what to do.

Part of being a wise woman, the speaker seems to imply, is accepting herself for who she is. She wants to increase her regard for herself. She wants to “perform an act of charity” for herself. She is so often called to sacrifice for others that she would like for once to do something for herself. She thinks, somewhat sarcastically, that perhaps the best bequest she could make is her heart to an enemy. She may be thinking that this would improve her relationship with that enemy or change that enemy in her favor or maybe even make that enemy suffer from guilt. Perhaps that enemy is the person giving all the unwanted advice. With the speaker's own heart, they would finally accept the speaker for herself.

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