Poem 236- Dream of Fair Women

A.) "Dream of Fair Women", written by Ann Hayes, is about the difference between reality and fantasy. It is a very simple but eloquent poem that contains a message of the feminine role. The poem is written in four triplets called tercets due to their aaa-bbb-ccc rhyme scheme that make the poem very flowing and rhythmic. The poem includes some of the roles women have historically been marked with and recognizes the vast difference between the real world and the dream world and the acceptance of reality. The speaker is unidentified but I believe that it is a girl realizing that the images of the mother Mary and Eve have caused somewhat of a disillusionment of what women really are. The speaker is also coming to terms with her own fantasy world and grasping the reality that life is not perfect and no human being is without flaw. The lyrical sound of the poem makes it almost like a nursery rhyme which represents the message that, although we have been exposed to images of perfection and images of what women are supposed to be since childhood, we have to understand that these do not constitute reality. There is irony in the sound and sense of the poem being that the flowing childlike sound contradicts the underlying message that childhood fantasies are not real.

B.) The most prevalent literary device used in this poem was allusion. The poem contained allusions to Eve and the mother Mary from the bible and to sleeping beauty. These represented the images of women we have been exposed to since we were children. Eve was the foolish woman who naively fell for the devil's tricks and caused all of humankind to experience guilt and death. This reinforces the stereotype that women are always innocent, lack independence, and are in need of sheltering and protection. The allusion to sleeping beauty also contributes to the image of women as needy and reliant on the protection of men. The women are the victims that must look to the men to save them. The mother Mary represents the stereotype that women are angelic, lacking sin, and always doing good for others. Women are constantly depicted as innocent, which is something we see and imprint on from the time of our childhood. The speaker is referencing these stereotypical feminine roles to emphasize the fact that this simply is not reality. The speaker comes to terms with the fact that men are not "knights in shining armor" as is shown in the last stanza, "A sleeping beauty dreams her lover's grace,/ Opens her eyes upon a human face,/ Keeps up the human race" (Hayes 10-12) and is trying to convey the message that women are not helpless dependents either. Everyone must accept that humans are imperfect and that the image of ideal love is nothing more than a childhood fantasy. The poet also makes good use out of the repitition of "the lady gave her trust" to depict how constantly the woman is displayed as handing over her trust innocently and selflessly, as in the case with the mother Mary, to a man. Mary places her full faith in the angel Gabriel, sleeping beauty relies on the prince's kiss to save her, and Eve trusts the snake in the Garden of Eden. The repitition of this phrase emphasizes the images of women that are ingrained in our heads pretty much since we were born.

C.) I liked this poem because it was short, sweet, and to the point. It was not difficult to understand exactly what the poet was trying to say and the message was one of importance. I think alot of people have to realize that the common stereotypes our society places on the genders are foolish. Children are taught stereotypical gender roles through cartoons, music, video games, and a wealth of other things. Society tends to enforce these false images, which makes it difficult when it comes time for people to recognize and understand that relationships and people are much more complex than the Disney characters allow. I think Hayes used excellent allusions as examples of common stereotypes and they definitely helped drive home the point that women are much different than we are influenced to believe as children. I also enjoyed the contradiction between the nursery-like flow of the words and the message of breaking from childlike beliefs.