Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"What's That Smell in the Kitchen" is a poem by Marge Piercy, first published in her collection "The Moon Is Always Female" in 1980. The poem is a feminist critique of the traditional gender roles that relegate women to domestic work.

Explanation:

The poem begins with a speaker noticing a foul smell emanating from the kitchen. The speaker finds her husband reading the paper and her son watching TV while she is expected to cook, clean, and take care of everything else. She sarcastically asks her husband if he wants her to sing while she works and her son if he wants her to be his servant. The speaker is exasperated by the lack of appreciation for her hard work, and she wonders what would happen if she just left everything and let her family fend for themselves.

Poetic Elements:

• Form: The poem consists of four stanzas, each with six lines. The lines are mostly of similar length, and the poem has a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme.
• Imagery: The poem makes use of olfactory imagery with the repeated mention of the smell in the kitchen. There is also imagery of domestic drudgery and the mundane tasks of daily life.
• Irony: The speaker uses irony to critique traditional gender roles by sarcastically asking if her husband and son want her to be their servant and entertainer.
• Repetition: The phrase "I smell" is repeated several times throughout the poem, emphasizing the unpleasant odor and the speaker's frustration with her situation.

Conclusion:

"What's That Smell in the Kitchen" is a powerful poem that addresses issues of gender roles, domestic labor, and women's frustration with their societal expectations. The poem is an excellent example of how poetry can be used to critique social norms and challenge cultural assumptions.

Poem Snippet:

"I smell something burning.

I smell something rotten.

But I'll act as if I haven't, if I haven't

then it's not happening

if I can't smell it, it's not real,

so I'll just boil more vegetables

or throw another pot roast in the oven

or make a little nectar for the hummingbirds."