How Judith Wright Delivers More Than Just Babies….

 

Hello again! If you want to explore feminist Australian poetry or are struggling with analyzing poetry in Year 12 Literature, you’ve come to the right place. Today I am talking about: 'Woman to Man' by Judith Wright. It’s a poem that is as relevant and interesting today as when it was published in 1949 due to the idea it puts forward about feminism, which remains important in discussions in Australia.

It's 1949, and against the backdrop of the post-war error and still prevalent gender roles, Judith Wright pens the feminist poem "Woman to Man". World War 2 had ended for Australia in 1945, with 1949 being a part of the post-war period, which was when Australia focused on rebuilding and recovering from the aftermath of the war. The sense of hope and renewal, characteristic of the post-war optimism in Australia, is evident throughout the poem, with the poem's focus being on new life and creation. The war was also a shift for Australian women, as during the war, they were expected to take on 'masculine' jobs as men left for war. When the war ended, they were required to give up these jobs when men returned, which sparked interesting points around women's equality, with some women unwilling to return to the traditional role within the public sphere. Against this backdrop, feminism is brewing, eventually accumulating in second-wave feminism in the 1960s, where Judith Wright's views in "Woman to Man" emerged. 

The poem creates an insight into the challenges around motherhood, such as the dual experience of fear and hope, through its representations of the journey of pregnancy from conception to birth through the four stanzas.

Now due to the focus on women fulfilling gender roles and becoming mothers you might be a bit skeptical about how the poem is feminist. However, the poem conveys an extremely interesting angle of feminism to study due to the overtly positive light it views sex and pregnancy and the implication that it can only be a positive experience. This is contrary to other views, such as socialist feminists like Simone de Beauvoir, who wrote: 

"pregnancy and motherhood are experienced in very different ways depending on whether they take place in revolt, resignation, satisfaction or enthusiasm"

This view tends to prevail in modern Australia, as a more nuanced and complex understanding of pregnancy is appreciated. Abortion being legalized in Australia since 1969 reflects the understanding that pregnancy and sex are not a positive experience for everyone in Australia. 

Due to the poem's portrayal of pregnancy, the poem lends itself to essentialist feminism, which takes the view that the biological differences between men and women should be celebrated, and women should not try to 'intimidate men' when trying to gain equality. In literature, this often results in valuing feminine qualities such as menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth, which the poem demonstrates through the reverence it displays when representing pregnancy. 

Now, I know some people are here just for the quotes and analysis so…let's talk about how the poem actually represents pregnancy! 

Overall: 

It's structured into four stanzas, each with five lines and an ABCAA rhyming pattern; this creates a uniform stanza structure, representing how life is monotonous and has a natural order of growth. This is a soothing and rhythmic flow comparable to a mother's voice soothing her child, which puts the reader at ease while promoting motherhood. The cyclical nature of this rhyming scheme, with the first line rhyming with the couplet on the last two lines, mirrors how life acts in a cycle. This is backed up by the lack of specific names in the piece and, importantly, in the title, which demonstrates the ongoing cycle of giving birth and growing up that cannot be narrowed down to a particular time and place.

The first stages: 

The first stanza explores sex and represents it as a positive and rewarding experience as it ultimately leads to the creation of a child. 

"The eyeless laborer in the night"

The poem opens with a metaphor for sex, representing it as something that involves work. Due to the labor being 'eyeless', it represents how there is no guarantee that it will result in a baby.

'seed … builds for its resurrection day ---'

This is a biblical allusion to Jesus in Christianity, who is grown through love by a single 'seed'. The allusion highlights the idea that the creation of a life is a 'miracle' and should be celebrated. It emphasizes the extreme love and bond between the mother and the child, while the aposiopesis adds further significance to this moment in the poem and lets the audience pause to reflect on the joy and wonder of pregnancy. 

"silent and swift and deep from sight"

The sibilance softens the poem and adds a calming tone, representing sex as a pleasant experience. 

"foresees the unimagined light"

This line is a paradox, representing the duality of emotions experienced during pregnancy, as it is both unknown or fearful and celebratory or hopeful. The 'unimagined light' is a metaphor for the 'reward' that comes from sex being the resulting child, which is conveyed as uncertain; however, if it occurs, it is a very positive experience. 

Growth: 

The second and third stanzas explore the growth and development of the child in the womb, which is represented as the time when the mother starts connecting with the child and experiences many emotions ranging from fear to hope to love. 

The anaphora of "what if" throughout the last three stanzas represents the doubt and fear that can arise during pregnancy due to the uncertainty towards the future. The repeated questions of 'what if' act as a mirror to the plaguing thoughts of doubt the persona is experiencing and hope for the future.  

"this is the blood's wild tree that grows

The intricate and folded rose"

The metaphor represents the complexity of the creation of human life, encouraging awe, through the process of being represented as being broad in the form of a 'tree' while simultaneously becoming more intricate and specific in a 'folded rose'. The 'folded rose', representing the baby, symbolizes how love and growth are delicate and need to be cherished, as roses are often physically delicate and symbolize love. 

The hard part: 

The final stanza represents the birth and first moments between a mother and her child and is extremely loving and intimate. 

"blaze of light along the blade"

This demonstrates the process of giving birth, representing it as a sacred albeit painful act through the 'blaze of light' symbolizes the spiritual and divine, while the 'blade' is symbolic of the painful and contradictory elements of pregnancy, both joy and pain.

Biblical allusions magnify the connection between the mother and child and distance the experience from the audience by connecting it with an abstract concept rather than highlighting specific details. Highlighting how, in Australian society, the details of pregnancy are often avoided, with some only knowing that it is a painful experience, diminishing the feminine experience. The allusions also work to represent birth as a 'miracle' process and its rewarding aspects. 

"Oh hold me, for I am afraid"

The last line stands out from the rest of the poem due to the perspective shift from the mother to the child, the child conveying their dependence on the mother and the sacred bond between a mother and child due to the child only wanting to be held by the mother. This represents the new responsibility of motherhood in caring for a new baby. 

…. 

Although the poem might seem decidedly 'un-feminist' because of its reaffirmation of gender roles, it contributes heavily to the Australian feminist discussion. The poem focuses on the role of women as mothers, which appears to reaffirm gender roles. However, the poem celebrates sexuality from a feminine perspective, exploring the complexity of sex and pregnancy by combining pleasure, risk and responsibility. Through this blog, I hope you have gained an increased appreciation of the complexities of feminism in Australia and the multitude of forms it can take. 

Word Count: 1348