Linda Pastan's poem "Marks" is unusual because it addresses the frustrations of a typical housewife. Few people consider being a wife and mother a full-time job in itself, and it is not uncommon for a woman who plays both of these roles to feel overworked and unappreciated. What is unusual about Pastan's poem is the way she effectively conveys these sentiments by the

use of metaphors, tone, and informal diction.

The speaker's attitude is one of indifference, and this is made apparent by the metaphors she uses to compare her family's regard for her duties as a wife and mother to school grades. Thepoem opens with, "My husband gives me an A for last night's supper, an incomplete for my ironing, a B plus in bed. My son says I am average...". There is no emotion used in these lines, as if the speaker wishes to convey to the reader

change, such as leaving her family altogether to start a life of her own. There is even a possibility that she may remain a housewife, but change the way she caters to her family. Despite all of the

housewives versus the lifestyles led by other women. The last line of the poem ("Wait 'til they learn I'm dropping out.") leads the reader to assume that she has evaluated her lifestyle, and has decided to change it. The fact that she is "dropping out" could have a variety of meanings. She could decide to seek employment and start her own career, or she could be making a more radical

student who has worked very hard still does not achieve the grade he or she wanted. This raises the question, what do grades really measure? Obviously, good intentions or the amount of work done are not all that is measured. Thus, these metaphors seem to suggest that the speaker feels she will be taken for grant

Some common words found in the essay are:
Linda Pastan's, informal diction, attitude indifference, wife mother, pastan's poem, marks unusual, speaker's attitude indifference, school grades, dull ordinary, lifestyles led, subject matter, speaker's attitude,
Approximate Word count = 602
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)