Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis

A detailed Summary of Getting Out by Cleopatra Mathis

No matter what the eyes see, the heart is blind. "Getting Out" by Cleopatra Mathis is a poem about the trials and tribulations of a failed marriage. The language and the tone used by the poet describe the range of emotion at the same time the ex-wife is reliving the experience. This poem's transition occurs when the woman recollects the anger and sadness of her doomed relationship with a man she misses and once loved.

The language of the poem paints a very clear picture in the readers mind when attempting to understand the poet's grief. The first two stanzas of the poem are a form of flashback so that the reader may understand the intensity of the disgust between the couple before the divorce. "Waking like inmates who beat the walls," is a simile used by the poet to display the frustration the couple experiences. Using this literary device the poet gives the reader a mental imagine of the couple trying to escape each other because they can no longer cope with being in each other's presence. In the depth of night, the husband a

nd wife would ignore and avoid each other even though in their hearts knew divorce was the best solution to remedy their problem.

However, in the throughout of day, the harsh words of resentment and hate were freely spoken between husband and wife. "Heaving words like furniture" portrays that the words spoken had become so loaded with loathing that the effects of their livid comments left permanent scars. The husband's efforts to leave are partly to add pain to the already suffering woman. By using the line from a song, "you gonna miss me when I'm gone" the poet represents the husbands attitude in the situation.

The first two stanzas are embellished upon with similes so that the reader can easily understand the animosity in the couple's life. They also serve to create visual images, so that the reader can conceptualize the couple constant bickering and quarreling. The reader can also imagine the pair with bags under their eyes from lack of sleep and stress. The tone of the first two stanzas is reflective, angry and somewhat m

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cleopatra Mathis, , husband wife, tells reader, love marriage,

Approximate Word count = 702
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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