Influenced by Yates and Conrad, Adrienne Rich tried to be the perfect faculty wife and hostess, the 50’s mom. However, she found this unsatisfying. Rich talks about the gap between literary understanding of how women should live and how they actually live.

"Snapshots of a Mother-in-Law"

Adrienne Rich. Influenced by Yates and Conrad, she tried to be the perfect faculty wife and hostess; the 50's mom. However, she found this unsatisfying. She talks about the gap between literary understanding of how women live and how they actually live,

In "Snapshots of a Mother-in-Law," the mother-in-law is nature. Men are nature's children; women are the daughters-in-law. Men see men as the natural way to be, and women as a lesser form. She has a difficult relationship with the mother in law.

The argument ad feminam

This comes from ad hominem. Which means "to the man" this refers to an argument directed not to reason , but to personal prejudices and emotions. Attacking the opponent rather than the argument. Ad feminam is the thought that you cannot be right because you are a woman. This is an attitude faced by Anne Bradsteeet, one dating back to Eve & Pandora. She says that this is an old argument, and it is.

If a woman wants to write poetry, she has to cook clean, and take care of the kids first. She claims that they haven't represented themselves, but they have been represented by men.

You die at 15

Men lose interest in women after they reach their peak (at that time 15). All that they could have been is drained away from them.
 
 
 

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"Orion"

Orion. She looks up at Orion, and says that he does not age, Other stars have lost their brightness, but Orion still burns. In her own life, things are not going well. He has a cold self-centered stare
 
 

Rich looks up at Orion, and says that he does not age. Other stars have lost their brightness, but Orion still burns. Orion has a cold, self-centered stare. In Rich's own life, things are not going well. She ages while he remains the same.  He, however, is unable to sympathize.  As a god, he has no pity on mortals.

"Living in Sin"

The term "living in sin" may be unfamiliar to you - the usual phrase today is "shacking up," as in "shacking up with my ole lady."  The connotation of "living in sin" is clear - to live with somebody outside the sanctity of marriage is to put your immortal soul in danger.  It is also to bring the negative judgment of society down on you.

But while most young people would be scared off by the prohibition, others would be attracted by idea of breaking the rules.  The idea of living in sin seemed adventurous to her - exotic and bold.

So, now she's shacking up, er, living in sin.  What is this life of adventure like?  It turns out to be just like marriage.  Dust builds up as in a regular house.  The windows get grimy.  The milkman clomps up the stairs at 5:00 a.m.  In fact, living in sin can be downright seedy.  The cat chases a mouse around, and a beetle looks at her from among the saucers. The artist she lives with isn't in the mood to do art (or even to shave), so he wanders off to get some cigs.  Either he is immune to the dirt, or he expects her to clean up. Besides, isn't the dirt part of the romance?  It's "half heresy" to want the artist's loft to be clean.  Yet she cleans up anyway.  Why? It's what wives, er "ole ladies," do.  She went to bed with the artist, but she woke up with the man.