an analysis of eleanor borwns

Awareness of poetic techniques add to a reader’s understanding and responsiveness to a poems meaning, purpose, effects and implications. This is certainly true of “Your Cake” by Eleanor Brown. The poem discusses the act of making a cake for a relatives’ wedding. Brown splits the cake into its component parts and discusses the etymological roots of the ingredients of the cake, commenting on the development of language as a whole. Furthermore, references to marriage, reproduction, femininity and the merging of different substances are made.

The speech situation is made clear by stanzas one and ten;

“Mother is drunk on tradition, her competent hand” (1)

“Forgive me: I wanted to write you a sacred song,

such as maiden sang for their sisters’ weddings” (69-70)

The speaker is the sister of a woman who is going to be married, to whom the poem is directed. “Mother” is present and she is the one making and baking the cake. This poem would not be spoken directly to the sister; the tone is too learned. In fact, the tone differs in certain places. In stanza four, “This is a giggle” shows that the speaker is enjoying what she is doing therefore the tone is relaxed ad tranquil. Afterwards the speaker moves on to describe

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View the whole essay, without interruption

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The speaker is talking about two “substances” (35) which eventually become one when baking; butter and sugar. These substances are shown as being completely different; the word butter comes from Latin, and sugar comes from Arabic. This tone emerges most strongly in stanza ten:

“I am glad you are marrying.

The themes of reproduction and femininity are introduced in stanza three. This image is effective because it links with the theme of marriage; a woman carries a bouquet of flowers down the aisle. Brown is highlighting that the highly developed languages of today are miraculous in their development. The speaker is envious of her sister marrying. Brown is emphasising the importance of motherhood and the regard with which it should be respected. The speaker tells us that she is “in love with the words that go into your cake” (31) and in stanza eight “the words that go into your cake” (61) are described as “Mystical, fragrant.

Marriage is highlighted throughout the poem. This is not only a comment about one single word, but also a comment about language as a whole. Brown uses these techniques as she is questioning the traditions of the past, especially marriage, and commenting on how they relate to today’s world. Brown is relating all things traditional and past with “Mother” (1), showing how the speaker regards her mother as a person who is old-fashioned.

Approximate Word count = 1379
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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