In both texts, the characters are stuck in an oppressive and patriarchal society, and they can only escape by leaving it – a choice that’s only available to those with the privilege and power to do so. We can explore how this text reinforces, critiques, or challenges definitions of masculinity or femininity and how it can be read as cautionary tale on social conformity and patriarchy. To begin, let’s consider the gender of the author, the reader, and the characters/voices. Does the text reflect social gender codes? Are these characters trapped in the existing patriarchal framework, or do they challenge it in any way? Are there any stereotypes being challenged or reinforced? How do the characters’ different genders impact their journey? Additionally, let’s imagine ourselves as someone of the opposite gender reading this work and explore how our readings might differ. As we reread this text, let’s point to places where we can see how the author is conveying messages about gender roles, objectivity/objectification, representation, and differences. Finally, let’s try to think of ways to find creative ways to challenge gender roles and oppressive social norms in our own lives.

Let’s look at this text through the Gender/Feminist Critical Lens. We can ask ourselves if the poem reinforces, critiques, or challenges existing definitions of masculinity or femininity. We can consider the gender of the author, the reader, as well as the characters/voices in the text. We can look for gender stereotypes that may be reinforced or undermined in the poem. We can consider how different the text might look if we interpret it with a different gender perspective. To help us start this conversation, let’s look at these lines:

“Then his heart, it burst apart
And tumbled slowly to the ground.”

Does this poem present a traditional masculine or feminine approach to love and loss? What ideas of gender roles or representation are being presented here? Let’s think about different ways that we could interpret this poem and push back against gender stereotypes. Let’s grab a few more lines to help us answer these questions. Is there a different way we could re-read this poem together and imagine a more nuanced approach to gender in this text?