A women is the foundation

             In the poem, "a woman is not a potted plants," Alice Walker is pointing out the contrasts between a woman and natural objects, one of which is a potted plant. The woman may appear to be just a decorative piece in the house, but Walker is trying to emphasize that a woman is more than just that. By first presenting common stereotypes, the speaker then eludes to nature imagery to show what a woman is not. Walker is showing that women are the foundations of the home and without the woman, there is nothing.
             The first stanza of the poem points out how a woman is typically tied to her household duties: "her roots bound to the confines of her house"(1-3). Without the roots, how could a plant live? Just as the roots provide the plant with nourishment and water, a woman provides the household with the necessities in order to live. The woman is the foundation because she keeps the family strong and provides a strong base. She is not stuck to her home and household duties, meaning she does not have to be the only one to clean the home, care for the children, do the laundry, etc.
             The poem continues by comparing how a woman appears with how she may be perceived, but that perception is not what defines her. The lines "her leaves trimmed to the contours of her sex"(4-6), describe her as the same as any other woman, that her form is what defines her, as the docile housewife and not the breadwinner for the family. However, if readers look closer, they will see that being a woman does not mean that she cannot provide for herself and her family. This point is further illustrated in the next stanza, with the speaker pointing out other factors that may shape a woman, from, "her race", to, "her man"(14,17), elements that may give you a closer glimpse to how a woman came about, but a woman does not have to conform to a man's expectations nor society's expectations.
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A women is the foundation. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:41, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/11273.html