Linda Pastan is an American poet of Jewish background. She is known for writing short poems that address topics like family life, domesticity, motherhood, the female experience, aging, death, loss and the fear of loss, as well as the fragility of life and relationships.
Marks
My husband gives me an A
for last night's supper,
an incomplete for my ironing,
a B plus in bed.
My son says I am average,
an average mother, but if
I put my mind to it
I could improve.
My daughter believes
in Pass/Fail and tells me
I pass. Wait 'til they learn
I'm dropping out.
Haha wow! That was a rough ending. The speaker in "Marks" is obviously not pleased with the idea of being judged, and the metaphor of marks as a way of talking about her performance of family duties suggests her irritation. It's ironic because just like every parent wants their kids to get straight A's in school, her kids expect her to get straight A's at home which we all know is very difficult in both situations. There are various things listed that are expected of her (making supper, ironing clothes, and simply being a "mother"), and the three different systems of marking, portray the difficulties of multiple standards. The poem uses the language of schooldays all the way to the last line where it says "Wait 'til they learn I'm dropping out." I find it humorous that the son told his mom "if she puts her mind to it she could improve" because that is exactly what teachers say to us. The major effect of the poem depends on the irony of the speaker's surrendering to the metaphor the family has thrust upon her; if she is going to be judged similar to if she were a student, she has the right to leave the system. Ironically, she joins the system in order to defeat it.
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