Point of View

This poem is told from the fourth-person point of view using the pronoun “we”. This point of view is used to present a single voice as a collective, often to draw attention to a minority group or a singular experience shared amongst many people. In this context, the fourth-person voice draws attention to the imbalance of individuality and archetype (or even stereotype): to the men at the periphery of the poem, these women are faceless and uniform. It also shows how these individuals have all undergone similar experiences at the hands of men, which communicates a wider issue surrounding the perception of women’s place in society. Despite the disregard they face, the poem also communicates a sense of unity: these women understand each other’s experiences and are not alone.

Language and Meaning

The word choices in this poem are relatively accessible to the...