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‘To be of use’ by Marge Piercy depicts one speaker’s preference to be around those who work hard and understand the importance of perseverance. The poem takes the reader through metaphorical comparisons between oxen, water buffalo, and seals.
“To Be of Use” is a poem that focuses on the value of hard work, the meaningfulness of that work, and the necessity of perseverance. In the poem’s opening, Piercy’s speaker discusses the “people [they] love the best” (Line 1), expressly detailing that those who work hard, even when the situations are adversarial, are admirable.
“To Be of Use” by Marge Piercy is a lyric poem of four stanzas that was first published in a 1973 collection of the same title. This collection was Piercy’s fourth, published relatively early in her career.
By Marge Piercy. The people I love the best. jump into work head first. without dallying in the shallows. and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight. They seem to become natives of that element, the black sleek heads of seals. bouncing like half-submerged balls. I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
Themes. Persevering Against Difficulties. One of the key themes of “To Be of Use” is the idea that it is necessary to persevere during difficulties to have a life worth living. This is both outwardly stated and heavily implied by imagery utilized within the text.
Bouncing like half-submerged balls. I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, Who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, Who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, Who do what has to be done, again and again. I want to be with people who submerge.
I want to be with people who submerge. in the task, who go into the fields to harvest. and work in a row and pass the bags along, who are not parlor generals and field deserters. but move in a common rhythm. when the food must come in or the fire be put out. The work of the world is common as mud.
