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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.
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,
21 sie 2024 · As Marge Piercy suggests in this poem, there is no job that is inherently more valuable than any other. “The thing worth doing well done” may be as common as mud or as exalted as gold—the value of it comes from the heart with which it is done and its usefulness to others. To be of use. by Marge Piercy. The people I love the best
“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.
At the end of “To Be of Use,” the speaker suggests that to love one’s work—which can translate into spiritual, emotional, or physical effort—is necessary for each person’s satisfaction in life. Images within the poem of different types of work give the reader guidance as to what is “worth doing well” (Line 20).
This Introduction by the poet to her selected works mentions the poem “To Be of Use” directly. Piercy names it as one of her “favorites.” Piercy also discusses how in creating poetry she tries to “give utterance to energy, experience, [and] insight” and make her “poems work for others.”
17 paź 2018 · To Be of Use. 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.
