Joe Najdek RR2

“A Work of Artifice” by Marge Piercy is an interesting poem that discusses women’s rights as a bonsai tree (women) is being pruned by a gardener (men). It is well known that in the past men have both mentally and physically framed women as second rate. It seems to me that Piercy is saying that men should take all of the blame in limiting women’s freedoms. Men put women down because they grew up seeing it everywhere they went. Women, more specifically before the 70’s, let themselves be controlled for thousands of years. What Piercy fails to realize is that women conformed to be housewives or stay at home moms. Everyone is born the same but society put men higher than women in status. The bonsai tree in the poem could have grown at any pace it desired despite the gardener’s intentions. The author seems pessimistic at best. She delivers no solution or call to action on how to bring equality to females. Finally, a solution is hard to find when our culture reinforces weak self-images in women by painting the perfect woman as super skinny and blonde. Women may look, think, act and live differently than men but they deserve to be treated equally.