The first major point in the poem is that she makes everyone refer to her as Madam. As she states in the first verse, "The Madam stands for business. / I'm smart that way." In these lines, she is showing her reasoning for making everyone call her Madam, which is that it makes her appear strong and business-like. This business-like approach also suggests that she does not want to allow anyone to see any sign of frailty in her. In this way, referring to herself as Madam is about her need to assert herself and be strong. This is also reinforced at the end of the poem, where she finishes with, "Alberta K. Johnson-- / Madam to you." It is important that she first gives her name, which represents that she knows who she is. This is quickly followed by "Madam to you." This has a similar message to the beginning of the poem where she referred to Madam as standing

This is suggesting in the verses of the poem, where she describes how she has tried and been forced to fail in many areas. Her need to express how she has worked is represented by putting them in capital letters. In the second verse she tells the reader, "I had a / HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR." In the third verse she tells the reader, "Then I had a / BARBECUE STAND." Putting these two forms of work on separate lines and in bold font suggests that she wants to make this obvious to the reader. This shows that she has a desire to please others and have them approve of her. In turn, this suggests that she does feel some shame for how things have turned out. The next statement in bold occurs after she reveals that she is not currently working, as she practically shouts at the reader "DON'T WORRY 'BOUT ME!" It is interesting to note that at one point she is trying to convince the reader to accept her, and at the next she is shouting at the reader to ignore her. This suggests that she is fighting something within herself. She seems to be fighting a need to please, while also being aware that she will be judged and rejected by the reader. In the end, it seems that she sees herself as having failed. At the same time, she cannot fight this because she is not in control of herself. She is infringed upon from the demands of society. In one way then, she wants to fight. In another, she knows that there is no point in fighting.

Note in these two lines, that there is an increase in rhythm and a high-point is reached with the words "HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR" and "BARBECUE STAND." After this high point, the rhythm fal

Some common words found in the essay are:
BARBECUE STAND, Madam Alberta, Alberta Johnson--, DON'T WORRY, STAND Putting, HAIR-DRESSING PARLOR, Past History, STAND Till, hair-dressing parlor, barbecue stand, appear strong, madam alberta, , appear strong world, verse tells reader, refer madam, strong world, world matter, alberta appear, tells reader, madam alberta appear, tells reader /, alberta appear strong, gain approval,
Approximate Word count = 1091
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)