" Washing Day"

Analysis

The poem “washing day” by Anna Letitia is a very well elaborated poem whose strong imagery not only enables the poem to express the author’s feelings effectively, but it also allows the reader to fully engage into the poem. It is through the impressive use of imagery that Anna Leticia unfolds before the readers a women’s world of hard labor, long days, and burdensome chores that women coped with during the 19th century. Religious, economic, social, and geographical images are just some of the few strategies employed to draw the reader into the poet’s experiences by touching into the senses and feelings that the readers are usually compelled with; bringing the poet’s world alive and offering a strong and meaningful sense of understanding.
Anna’s “washing day” has a very melancholic beginning. “Come then, domestic Muse- pleasant curds and cream, or drowning flies, or shoe lost in the mire.” Here, the strong use of imagery drawn from nature slowly and successfully draws readers into a sense of hopelessness and boredom. Interestingly, the author’s use of imagery only gets progressively stronger as the poem unfolds: “-ere the first gray streak of dawn, the red-armed washer’s come and chase repose”. Notice that a repetition of imagery drawn from nature is employed once more. “ Streak of dawn” gives the impression of hard and tedious labor, while “chase repose” reinforces the idea of exhaustion. Nature related images are not the only images, however. Socioeconomic images are the main foundation of this poem; while allusion reinforces it to convey a clear picture of how tedious a “ washing day” was.
Though imagery is the basic strength of the poem, allusion comes in play to reinforce the already effective imagery, “ Saints have been calm while stretched upon the rack, and Guatimozin smiled on burning coals; but never yet did housewife notable greet with a smile on a rainy washing day.” Here, there are several figures of speech that contribute to the poem’s meaning. First, the always-effective socioeconomic imagery, “never yet did a housewife notable greet with a smile”. Notice the word-choice in this imagery; it conveys pure exhaustion mingled with a sense of resignation. Interestingly, this resignation is contrasted with the allusion of Cuathemoc’s resilience before the Spaniards. This only provides a stronger sense of how tedious and burdensome the “washing days” might have been. The intensive and yet effective use of imagery is properly used in Anna Letita’s poem to provide a richer and more vivid scenario for the readers.