English Literature

3L

Text: A World of Poetry, ‘The woman speaks to the man who has employed her son’ by Lorna
Goodison            
Instructions:
- Complete the short answer questions and the analysis table below

‘THE WOMAN SPEAKS TO THE MAN WHO HAS EMPLOYED HER SON’ BY
LORNA GOODISON

a) Quote TWO lines that show that the mother placed all her hopes in her son. (2 marks)

b) The mother in the poem feels betrayed by her son. Which line in the poem suggests that the
mother feels this way and why does she feel this way? (4 marks)

c) Quote TWO examples of biblical allusion used by the poet and explain ONE. (3 marks)

d) In stanza 5 of the poem, what TWO things does the persona say that the mother has and
where does she use them? (3 marks)

e) The persona says, “she reads Psalms for him … she says Psalms for you.” Why does the
mother read Psalms for her son and say them for his “employer”? (3 marks)
 Analysis

 The poem focuses on the theme single parenting and the challenges mothers often face. It
highlights how a mother feels when all she hopes her child will become does not
materialize.
 The first stanza basically highlights the effects of pregnancy such as being emotional,
having a metallic taste in the mouth and general discomfort. All throughout the
pregnancy she had envisioned him becoming a success story.  “She carried him like the
poor carry hope” – this simply highlights just how much she expects of him.  She hopes
he gets a visa so he can achieve something in order to help her.
 Gradually, the reader learns that she is struggling on her own because the father has
neglected his responsibilities. In fact, he has failed to maintain any of his children who he
treats with “equal unbiased indifference”.  This forces her to take on two roles – a mother
and father.
 Such is her dreams for him that she does not limit nor “set no ceiling” on his ambitions. If
he wants to be a doctor, a pilot or an earth healer, she would support him fully.
 However, all she envisions happening to her son fails to materialize because he has
chosen to be a gunman instead. The young man views the man who he now works for as
a father figure; he has replaced his absentee father.
 The mother is quite disturbed by the fact that this man has given her son a sub-machine
gun and she questions the intentions of the man. She does not believe he values her son
because no father would give his son a weapon that will lead to his untimely death.  He
wants bread (clearly he is hungry or wants better for himself) and the man directs him to
a life of crime.
 She is convinced that her son is going to die and so she prepares herself for his funeral.
She buys black cloth and a hat in preparation for the day he collects his “bloody salary”.
 She resorts to praying and crying at “knee city” as her only source of help to rescue her
son from destruction. She has no control over the situation at the earth level but believes
God has the power to intervene and regain control of his life and soul.
 The poem ends with her likening herself to the mothers of Judas (Judas committed
suicide) and the thief on the cross. She too will end up with a dead son. As a result of her
son’s chosen lifestyle, she has been forced to resign herself to his demise – his death.

Literary Devices

 Metaphor: “bloody salary”, “knee city”, “metallic tide”

 Simile: “She carried him like the poor carried hope.”
 Irony: The man claims to value the boy yet he gives him a weapon that will destroy him.
 Contrast: There is a difference between what the mother expects from the son and what
he actually becomes.
 Biblical Allusion - Reference is made to Judas Iscariot and the thief on the cross.