Analysis of “Fearful Women” by Carolyn Kizer

Carolyn Kizer begins her poem with a character of Greek Mythology Helen of Troy, also known
as Helen of Spartan who was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, she was considered to be the most
beautiful woman in the world and is known for igniting the flames of the Trojan War but later
on, she was blamed for the great war of Troy. As the text says, “Helen was to blame”. This
allusion of Trojan War demonstrated that the society was looking for someone responsible, they
choose an easier target; women. Kizer quickly follows this image of Helen, one that is negative
with “wars for turf and profit don't sound glamorous enough.” She acknowledges and brings
light to the actual reasons for the war, but as she states, these reasons aren’t “glamorous”
enough. This idea of “glamour” is further strengthened by the powerful statement,
“Mythologize your women! None escape.” The status and gender roles create an image of
women. Gender roles as they are stipulated by individuals in power (men), allow for these
myths and capitalize upon them at the expense of others, in these cases the further subjugation
of women.

Moving towards the next lines of the poem she adds a different perspective to the circumstances
of Adam and Eve. “He, one rib short: she lived to rue it, when Adam said to God, “She
made me do it.” It demonstrates that a women was weak and easy to affect with sweet words, a
woman thought to be the cause of the first sin and is blamed for making Adam sinning. So, it
was women who made man sinning. Kizer makes readers understand that like Helen blamed for
war, Eve is blamed for sin. So, blame always fall upon women whatever the reasons are.
Because of Eve’s desire for knowledge, desire to challenge the norms, and her curiosity, she
is punished. It also shows that how women are suffering and are dominated, even at the start of
humanity.

“An educated woman is a danger. Lock up your mate! Keep a submissive stranger”, these
beliefs are offensive that educated women are danger to society. Also, the fact that men thought
they must have an obedient stranger with them, enforces how they would not be able to live
without them. So, they want to keep them but locked, as they don’t want educated women to
have same rights as them. Further Kizer says, “Like Darby’s Joan, content with church and
Kinder, not like that sainted Joan, burnt to a cinder.” “Darby’s Joan” was submissive, she
played the role that was given to her by declaration of her sex, but Joan of Arc did not play that
role and therefore was burned. She outlines that how different they are.

Carolyn Kizer employs mythology and Christian literature to illustrate the status quo that
supports certain gender roles and ideals. She uses allusions-women from these works to
illustrate that when a woman challenges these roles, she is “blamed”, “burnt to a cinder”,
shunned from society and made an example of in order to further limit the potential growth of
women as individuals.
But, she doesn’t end on a negative note, but an empowering one. She uses “if” instead of
“when” in “And if we do -I say it without animus-It's not from you we learned to be
magnanimous.” If women embrace their magnanimous selves, they can get on top then women
can finally be in control of their own lives and end the suffering.