Contemptuous Submission

The speaker in Glück’s poem “The Edge” contemptuously submits to her husband’s will with the intention of keeping their family together. Throughout the poem, Glück relies on various literary devices to convey the speaker’s tired disdain. Her fatigue is evident in lines such as the first, which reads, “Time and again, time and again” (1). The repetition and plosive /t/ alliteration in this first line emphasize the speaker’s struggle. However, Glück designates this as an active choice on the speaker’s part when she says, “I tie / My heart to that headboard” (1-2). By avoiding passive voice in “I tie,” Glück complicates the reader’s understanding of the speaker’s situation. The speaker’s role in her family is complex, consisting of ambiguous sub-roles including provider, unifier, giver, victim, and perpetrator.

Rhetorical questions help convey the speaker’s...