The poem “She lives in a pat of Butter” by Ramsey Jade revolves around the role of women in conducting domestic chores and setting good examples for their children in the modern world. Even though the efforts provided by mothers and wives are similar, the societal expectation is for women to perfect their domestic roles. In some periods during the nineteenth century, the domestication of women in the middle and upper classes in the community became a culture. This tradition’s main objective was to restrict women’s obligations within the confines of the home and family. Since the poem’s title revolves around food, the writer is anxious to narrate her food story. The narrator dismisses the expectation of the general society that women must be acquainted with cooking skills to ensure a successful home and stir up gravity. Her conduct indicates that no matter the societal expectations, she will not always be perfect as a woman.
The poem is a compelling work of art because of its alluring and evocative tone and attitude. Its concepts are also exceptional and captivating to draw the reader in. The lyrics typically discuss the importance of cherishing special times spent with relatives and the affection for family or other loved ones. The character talks about her family, muses on the bygone eras she remembers about them, and expresses her love for them. This interpretation so catches the poem’s organization and main idea. A high-society white family’s domestic life would involve hiring an African American maid to look after the young children and handle household chores and responsibilities. Once that is done, these white women can mingle while their husbands are at work. However, a black family’s domestic situation is significantly more straightforward. Even though they are not living in poverty, their homes are substantially smaller, and they don’t have maids to watch over their kids while at work.
But the main idea of this poem was to cherish the current moment with loved ones and family to make priceless memories. The symbolism of butter plays a large part in Jade Ramsey’s poetry, “I live in a pat of Butter.” It stands for treasured times shared in harmony and with family. Any atmosphere associated with the poem is nostalgic, conjuring up memories of a great occasion. The title of the poem is crucial in assisting readers in recognizing and comprehending the butter symbolism used throughout the poem. In addition, the title of the poem is symbolic of treasuring the present and family. Butter is a metaphor for a family tradition in this situation. The poet connects the consumable butter and the exciting facets of family life, including coming together, spending time together, and creating priceless memories with families. For example, the narrator immediately connects butter to family affection when she states, “My mom loves butter more than I do, far more than. She breaks off pieces and eats them plain to demonstrate how the cream is transformed into butter as a child.
The narrator emphasizes that the mother consumes the most butter in the family, indicating that she is the one who values family the most. Dione is not referring to her mother’s love of butter as a meal; instead, she is referring to her mother’s extreme passion and value of family time. The narrator illustrates the sincerity of the parental love for her family, whom she treasures in all she does, when she mentions the mother consuming it pure (the buttered) and on everything. The poem also clearly has a love theme, especially at the end when the author recalls a few of the good past times. She compares the good past days to love since, in her opinion, love leaves an imprint that can be recalled.
Since it is developed more at the poem’s conclusion, the love theme is not the main one. The music also influences the poem’s loving and nostalgic mood. The narrator of the poem, as well as the audience, both experience the attitude of love. She expresses her love for her brother by saying, “When I imagine the good old days, I am beaming greasy with my brother,” for example. Her words convey great compassion and affection for her brother when she speaks of the good old days. Similarly, the persona still cherishes her early years and her time with her parents, demonstrating that the mother’s devotion to family has played off and that the basis of family ties remains solid even beyond infancy as the persona recalls the pleasant days.
The first five lines of the poem have an ABCDE rhyme pattern, despite the irregular rhyme scheme. The verse only has one long stanza, which improves its conciseness and the poem’s overall flow of ideas. The poet uses a variety of rhetorical strategies, including repetition, alliteration, symbolism, and metaphor, among others. For instance, the word Butter appears numerous times in the poem, adding to its melody and allowing the central theme represented by the term butter to be emphasized. The poem is thus a superb work and fascinating since Jade Ramsey presents a special kind of poetry that combines metaphorical descriptive language to convince.