Charm
By: Karen Leona Anderson
Am I plastic enough. Did I
mold to the right shape—obedient
as water—feel hot, cool, smooth
to the touch. Was I flexible,
was I blue-green, and when dirty,
need just a slick of soap, and then
did I hold you in and repel
all else. Could I take it, heat, cold,
frozen, molten, could I
cover it up. Could I wrap myself
around what you wanted kept,
invisible almost, clear as ice. Could I stretch
and not crack, when I broke
could I break down to powder, to glitter,
to nothing, you hope,
to lace fish or bird or whatever
else except your flesh, could I stay
away from you, when told, get out
of your face. Was I buoyant. Was I
suddenly everywhere. Could I then
be recalled, remade, the strange
clear metal of myself come
back together in another,
fresher shape. If not,
could I just end. If not, could
I teach you how to bend,
to escape, to float—
After reading this poem, my first impression was that the author sees herself as far less important than the one whom the poem addresses, willing to turn herself into whatever they desire in order to please them. This is clearly seen in the first stanza, from the line “did I mold into the right shape — obedient as water,” which reminded me of Bruce Lee’s quote of “empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle,” referencing the Taoist idea of water’s ability to bend itself into whatever its surrounding requires in order to fit in the environment seamlessly.
This selfless attitude from the author has caught me off guard — the mainstream values of American society center around independence, individuality, and superiority, so why would anybody in 21st Century America write a poem that expresses such an intense degree of selflessness and even inferiority? While the society values personal identities to be loudly stubborn and proudly individual, the poet, Karen Leona Anderson, depicted an identity that is soft, malleable, and obedient, which goes against the values of today’s society.
This left me perplexed on the context from which this poem was written and the poem’s intended message. And after reading the poem for a second time, I was able to narrow down my cloud of confusion into a few key questions: who was the author writing to? What was the author’s attitude towards change? And most importantly, how in the world is this related to the title of the poem, Charm?
The first question was the poem’s intended audience, as Anderson never clearly stated who she wrote the poem to. If Anderson wrote this poem to a friend or acquaintance, then this poem embodies some key strategies in communication such as active listening and altruistic attitude. If Anderson wrote this poem dedicated this poem as a prayer to God, then the Christian value of submission and redemption was apparent. If Anderson wrote this poem as a presentation of some life philosophies, then they are consistent with philosophies taught in Taoism and Buddhism. However, all these assumptions seemed a bit off, and the puzzle just didn’t seem to fit together.
So I delved into research. From a few google searches, I found that Charm was a poem from Anderson’s book titled Receipt, where she examines the daily duties of modern American culture, particularly regarding feminine expression of identity and womanhood.
Feminine, identity, womanhood; that rang a bell for me.
Looking closely at a few details, I deduced that the poem was written in the context of a romantic relationship. For example, from lines like “did I hold you in and repel / all else,” and “could I stay / away from you, when told, get out / of your face,” Anderson showed a selfless dedication to someone who does not appreciate her very much — someone willing to tell her “get out of my face.” I see this most often in unhappy marriages or relationships, where a man is preoccupied with his troubles at hand and fails to appreciate the support from his wife or girlfriend. So, a more reasonable answer to my first question of “who is the audience?” became apparent: that she wrote it to a male romantic partner.
From that point on, finding the answer to the rest of my questions became an easier process. The submissive diction and tone of the poem corresponded with the way women were expected to behave in the traditional culture: that they were supposed to serve the man and have little sense of identity. Furthermore, by looking closely at the structure of the poem (“Am I plastic enough…was I flexible…Could I wrap myself around what you wanted kept…” ), in which the author repeatedly asked herself whether she has done enough to be submissive and feminine, I sensed a bit of satire, protesting against the expectations of selflessness and obedience that the society has set upon women.
Finally, I realized why the poem was titled “Charm.” Femininity was generally seen as a charming characteristic in women when it comes to romantic relationships, since a supportive, altruistic woman was generally seen as more attractive by men. Yet, this very charming quality has negatively affected the lives of women, leading them to reject their individuality and depriving many of their freedom. Perhaps, this poem was a satirical demonstration of the negative influence of the traditional value of femininity in a woman’s emotional well-being.
Nonetheless, I have not entirely understood the poem. Some diction and symbolism in the has still kept me perplexed and wondering, why did Anderson write about “fish” and “bird” from 6th stanza in the poem? What does “Was I buoyant” (7th stanza) mean? To grasp a deeper understanding, I will have to figure them out.
Hi Frank, your ideas about the poem are interesting. When I read it initially, I just skipped right to the poem and assumed it was a boy who wrote it. My initial thoughts of this poem was that it was a guy who was really attached to his girlfriend and they broke up and he is questioning and worrying about what he did wrong. But now, reading your perspective and taking the context of the time and the author and rereading the poem again, I agree with your point. I think the author is mocking how much women at that time had to respect and please and be so unselfish all the time, showing how many things they had to do and how overwhelming it could be to please a man.
Hi Frank! I enjoyed reading your blog. Your thought process in understanding the blog was seamless and sensible. To go through the blog, then pause and ask questions was very important. Furthermore, you focused on different audiences which I thought was very important. Asking important questions and being able to create a clear path to your conclusions. You also did what I ended up doing: research. Many of these poems have complex meanings and the ability to understand the context of a poem and the inspiration behind it cannot be understated. I generally agree with the conclusions you made, that the poem is focused on this sense of family and societal pressures that women have. I thought your comment on women’s individuality was rather powerful, “…leading them to reject their individuality and depriving many of their freedom.” Additionally, I liked how you concluded, with the ambition to continue searching for answers to the questions you still have. It gives your blog a sense of openness and ambiguity to it. It also gives an important touch that understanding someone’s work never really ends, there is always something more to ponder. Nice job Frank!
Hey Frank,
This poem was a fascinating read. I found your analysis to be particularly profound, and its depth and coherence really struck me throughout the poem. On my reading of the poem, I had a similar idea as yours – to mold into the identity, feelings, and wants of another person/partner. The context of a romantic relationship does indeed add a lot of value to this – pointing out that this idea could be satirical. On some level, though, as I re-read this poem, I’m also thinking about this poem as revolving around the idea of the conjunction of two different worlds and objects – her’s and her partners. She’s realizing that she’s giving up far too much to fall into her partner’s world and thus wonders if “I then be recalled, remade, the strange clear metal of myself come back together in another”. And if not, she calls upon her partner to do so. I am not too sure about bird or fish in this context. It could mean the different kinds of moving animals out there that she can take form of?
Great poem, love the analysis, and especially loved your deep, intrinsic thoughts that really hit it to the core.
-Kai
Frank, I really enjoyed reading your blog! I like how you started your post by relating an aspect of the poem to something you were previously knowledgeable about (Bruce Lee’s quote). I think that connecting new challenges with preexisting beliefs and facts is a strategy that is very useful while learning new things, especially in regards to deciphering difficult poetry. I also like how you took us as readers cleanly through your entire thought process while trying to analyze this poem; it allowed for me to gain a more enriched understanding of your path and of the poem as a whole. I also liked how you ended your blog by saying that you have not entirely understood it. Poems are incredibly complex, and I feel that there is never an ending point to truly understanding them in full, which is the beauty of poetry. I’ve never read a poem by this author before, and I really enjoyed reading it along with reading your analysis of the poem, as I think it contains a great message and important theme!
Frank, I truly enjoyed your holistic take on the poem you chose. Your introductory paragraph had me intrigued from the first sentence. I also saw the poem admiring or commending the person being addressed while not prioritizing her rectitude and image. Your connection to beloved Bruce Lee was humorous and surprisingly accurate. This showed your ability to bring the poem’s contents outside of the text and make your connections and relations. I also liked your text-to-text comparison with the poem “Charm” as my own poem also made such a reference. I think being able to research and then compare and contrast poems will reveal their true message as you also found. The theme you found of it being a romantic relationship at hand because I also concluded this much. Thank you Frank for your valuable insight.
Hey Frank,
First off, I really liked the poem you chose and feel like I totally understand what you saw in it. I like how you went beyond yourself and looked for deeper meaning in the poem and weren’t afraid to touch on broader societal problems in your breakdown. I like how one of the first challenges you approached was “the audience.” That actually reminded me of the old SOAPSTone acronym from AP Lang. It’s always so important to understand the context of a piece of literature before you can fully analyze it, and I feel like you did that by looking so closely at this poem. I also think the title fits into this kind of analysis, which is why we have been working in class at always taking a look at the title first and then last and seeing what meaning it has because, after all, the title is part of the poem.
Hey Frank! I love the instant connection you made to the Taoist idea of water’s ability, I think it’s a perfect analogy to your explanation in the beginning. Connecting the poem to situations from the past or current is an excellent way to truly unlock a sense of understanding in the poem, something that has helped me look at the poems I read. I appreciate you showing your thought process in such a seamless manner, it greatly helped me understand your analysis of the poem. You set yourself up with some questions of analysis and followed each of them till you found an understanding. From my readthrough of the poem, I think my assumptions generally align with yours, although you did have some more meaningful connections and a deeper approach. Excellent job on the analysis Frank!