Mother, Washing Dishes
By Susan Meyers
She rarely made us do it—
we’d clear the table instead—so my sister and I teased
that some day we’d train our children right
and not end up like her, after every meal stuck
with red knuckles, a bleached rag to wipe and wring.
The one chore she spared us: gummy plates
in water greasy and swirling with sloughed peas,
globs of egg and gravy.
Or did she guard her place
at the window? Not wanting to give up the gloss
of the magnolia, the school traffic humming.
Sunset, finches at the feeder. First sightings
of the mail truck at the curb, just after noon,
delivering a note, a card, the least bit of news.
Summary of Mother, Washing Dishes
- Popularity of “Mother, Washing Dishes”: “Mother, Washing Dishes” by Susan Meyers, an American poet, is an interesting piece about mother-daughter love and care. The poem first appeared in 2006 in her collection, Keep and Give Away. It was later reprinted by a journal and the Poetry Foundation. The popularity of the poem, however, rests on its unique expressions of a daughter about her mother and the motherly care.
- “Mother, Washing Dishes” As a Representative of Familial Love: Susan Meyers opens the poem with third person feminine gender used for her mother, saying she has never made them do anything at home. This is true regarding domestic chores that her mother used to take care of. She and her sisters used to think that someday they would train their own kids to assist them and that they would not end up like their mother doing chores in the kitchen without forcing them to help her. Even if they used to offer her assistance, she did not let them wash the gummy plates having eggs and gravy in them, thinking it would be hard for them. However, there is another supposition in their minds that she might guard the window, she does not want to leave the activities going on around the window such as the gloss of the magnolia, or the school traffic, or the sunsets or the mail truck and so on.
- Major Themes in “Mother, Washing Dishes”: Motherly love, self-reflection, and familial care are three major themes of this poem. Susan Meyers presents herself and her sister taking care of their mother yet she does not let them wash greasy dishes and does these chores herself. She takes much care of them that they think that she tires herself out for them. They would not do the same thing when they would be training their kids for the future, they think. However, when it comes to chores, they again think that there might be other reasons. This leads to their self-reflection about their role and the role of mothers and how to take care of the minor issues of each other.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used In “Mother, Washing Dishes”
literary devices bring attraction, beauty, and diversity in poetic language. Susan Meyers has also used some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ and /e/ in “We’d clear the table instead – so my sister and I teased” the sound of /o/ in “The one chore she spared us; gummy plates” and the sound of /e/ in “and not end up like her, after every meal stuck.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ and /d/ in “we’d clear the table instead – so my sister and I teased” and the sound of /s/ and /f/ in “Sunset, finches at the feeder. First sightings.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
Sunset, finches at the feeder. First sightings
of the mail truck at the curb, just after noon,
delivering a note, a card, the least bit of news.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Susan Meyers has used imagery in this poem such as “with red knuckles, a bleached rag to wipe and wring”, “globs of egg and gravvy” and “delivering a note, a card, the least bit of news.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of different symbols of household work such as dishwashing, gummy plates, gravy, and knuckles to point out the tiresome work that a mother does.
- Simile: The poem shows the use of a simile such as “and not end up like her.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Mother, Washing Dishes”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows the use of modern jargon of domestic chores to show daughters’ concern for their mother. The tone is serious and quizzical.
- Free Verse: The poem is a free verse poem as it does not follow any rhyming pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem is a single stanza poem, having fourteen verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Mother, Washing Dishes” are appropriate to quote about the significance of a relationship.
The one chore she spared us: gummy plates
in water greasy and swirling with sloughed peas,
globs of egg and gravy.
