The Use of Tone and Metaphors in Pastan’s “Marks” Linda Pastan’s poem “Marks” is unusual because it addresses the frustrations of a typical Few people consider being a wife and mother a full-time job in itself, and it is notuncommon for a woman who plays both of these roles to feel overworked and unappreciated.What is unusual about Pastan’s poem is the way she effectively conveys these sentiments by theuse of metaphors, tone, and informal diction. The speaker’s attitude is one of indifference, and this is made apparent by the metaphors sheuses to compare her family’s regard for her duties as a wife and mother to school grades. Thepoem opens with, “My husband gives me an A for last night’s supper, an incomplete for myironing, a B plus in bed. My son says I am average...”. There is no emotion used in these lines, asif the speaker wishes to convey to the reader that she is so tired of serving others that she doesnot have time to consider her own personal feelings. She may believe that she is constantly beingevaluated, and the fact that she makes an effort to care for her family is not always good enough. In a school setting, students usually strive for perfection through their grades, and sometimes astudent who has worked very hard still does not achieve the grade he or she wanted. This raisesthe question, what do grades really measure? Obviously, good intentions or the amount of workdone are not all that is measured. Thus, these metaphors seem to suggest that the speaker feelsshe will be taken for granted by her family no matter how hard she tries to please them. The tone of this poem is established by the way the lines seem flat and void of emotion. Thespeaker simply states the facts the way she sees them, with no reference to her feelings orthoughts. Most of the words are dull and ordinary, much like the attitude of the speaker. Pastan’schoice ...
