Sequence Two Summary

The poems in this short sequence are linked by images of violence and the feelings women experience in reaction to violence.

In Poem Five, the ladies in blue, red and purple share a poem about rape. They suggest ironically that if a woman is raped by someone she knows, she asked for it, and that a rapist is always a stranger with certain characteristics. Images of courtly gentlemen are contrasted with images of the same men holding a fist to the face of the woman they're having sex with. Images of both strangers and known rapists are used to indicate that both types of rapist deserve the same punishment. The poem also contains images of women in social situations encountering men who previously raped them.

Poem Six uses poetic imagery that never actually says the words, but allows the lady in...