“I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay: Critique

Introduction: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

“I Being Born a Woman and Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay offers a bold and defiant exploration of female sexuality and desire. Written in 1923, the poem confronts societal expectations of women’s behavior during a time of changing social mores. With its direct expression of a woman’s inner experience, Millay challenges traditional perspectives on gender roles and autonomy. The poem’s speaker navigates complex emotions stemming from the biological impulses she feels as a woman, ultimately asserting a sense of agency and independence amidst societal constraints.

Text: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Annotations: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Couplet	Annotations
I, being born a woman and distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind,	* The speaker directly acknowledges the conflict between her identity as a woman (“distressed”) and societal expectations (“needs and notions of my kind”).
Am urged by your propinquity to find / Your person fair, and feel a certain zest	* “Propinquity” (nearness) suggests the man’s presence triggers physical desire in the speaker. “Zest” highlights the intensity of this feeling.
To bear your body’s weight upon my breast: / So subtly is the fume of life designed,	* The image is both intimate and forceful. “Fume of life” is an evocative way of hinting at biological drives.
To clarify the pulse and cloud the mind, / And leave me once again undone, possessed.	* “Clarify the pulse” suggests intensified heartbeat – a physical manifestation of desire. “Cloud the mind” indicates a loss of rational control. “Undone, possessed” emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the experience.
Think not for this, however, the poor treason / Of my stout blood against my staggering brain,	* “Treason” introduces the idea that these feelings are a betrayal. “Stout blood” (strong physical desire) opposes the “staggering brain” (faltering reason).
I shall remember you with love, or season / My scorn with pity,—let me make it plain:	* The speaker shifts toward a more distanced perspective. The word “season” implies tempering strong emotion, a move towards regaining control.
I find this frenzy insufficient reason / For conversation when we meet again.	* The final lines convey a powerful decision. “Frenzy” refers to the earlier passion, deemed an inadequate basis for interacting with the man.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

1. Imagery: Vivid use of language to evoke sensory experiences. Example: “To bear your body’s weight upon my breast”.
2. Metaphor: An implied comparison between unlike things. Example: “the fume of life” represents biological desires.
3. Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things. Example: “stout blood against my staggering brain”
4. Enjambment: When a line of poetry runs into the next without punctuation. Example: “…distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind…”
5. Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Example: “poor treason / Of my stout blood”.
6. Diction: Specific word choice that contributes to the poem’s tone and meaning. Example: “distressed,” “frenzy,” “possessed” convey emotional intensity.
7. Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of lines. Example: “I find…” in the final two lines.
8. Paradox: A seemingly contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth. Example: “undone, possessed” – the speaker feels a loss of control yet also power in the experience.
9. Tone: The poem’s emotional attitude. Example: Shifts from defiant to dismissive.
10. Inversion: Reversing the usual word order for emphasis. Example: “So subtly is the fume of life designed”
11. Caesura: A pause within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation. Example: “My scorn with pity,—let me make it plain:”
12. Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality. Example: The speaker’s physical desire might be expected to lead to connection, but instead, she asserts detachment.
13. Allusion: A reference to another work of literature or history. Example: “treason” may subtly reference historical figures of women vilified for passionate choices.
14. Juxtaposition: Placing contrasting ideas near each other for emphasis. Example: “pulse” (physical) vs. “mind” (rational)
15. Rhyme Scheme: The poem has a clear sonnet structure, following an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG pattern.

Themes: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

1. Theme 1: Conflict between societal expectations and female desire: The poem establishes a core tension between the female speaker’s lived experience and externally imposed constraints. The opening line, “I, being born a woman and distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind”, confronts the confining nature of social expectations placed upon women. Millay explores the dissonance between natural female desire and the behavioral norms deemed acceptable during her era.
2. Theme 2: The overwhelming power of physical desire: Millay employs vivid language to depict the speaker’s visceral response to the man’s presence. Phrases like “feel a certain zest / To bear your body’s weight upon my breast” and the potent image of the “fume of life” designed to “clarify the pulse and cloud the mind” convey the immediacy and intensity of this desire. The poem challenges the traditional notion of female passivity by highlighting the undeniable impact of physical attraction.
3. Theme 3: Tension between the body and the mind: A recurring motif in the sonnet is the conflict between the speaker’s physical urges and her rational judgment. The vivid metaphor of “treason / Of my stout blood against my staggering brain” suggests a betrayal of intellectual control by baser instincts. This internal struggle encapsulates the challenge of reconciling physical longing with social propriety, a tension particularly acute for women of the time.
4. Theme 4: Reassertion of female agency: Despite the overwhelming sensations described, the poem’s volta (turn) in the final lines reveals a decisive reassertion of agency. The speaker dismissively states, “I find this frenzy insufficient reason / For conversation when we meet again.” This deliberate choice underscores a refusal to be defined solely by bodily impulses. Instead, the speaker asserts control over her self-presentation and interactions, defying potential reductions to mere physical attraction.

Literary Theories and “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Literary Theory	Application to the Poem	References from the Poem
Feminist Criticism	This theory examines works through the lens of gender, power dynamics, and female representation.	* Speaker directly challenges societal constraints on women: “distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind” * Poem explores the conflict between female desire and imposed expectations. * Focus on the female body as both a site of powerful sensations and social limitation.
New Historicism	Considers literature within its historical context, examining how social, cultural, and political forces shape meaning.	* Written in 1923, a time of shifting social mores and increased discussion of women’s sexuality. * The poem’s defiance and emphasis on female agency pushes against traditional gender roles of the era.
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Explores the unconscious desires and motivations of characters or implied authorial figures.	* Focus on the speaker’s internal conflict: “stout blood against my staggering brain” * The vivid physical imagery could be examined for underlying desires or anxieties. * Emphasis on biological impulses can be linked to Freudian concepts.
Formalism	Focuses on the literary elements and structure of the poem itself.	* Millay’s use of the traditional sonnet form juxtaposed with the defiant content. * Analysis of enjambment, caesura, and how it affects the poem’s flow and emphasis. * Examination of specific diction choices and their impact on tone.

Critical Questions about “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

• Topic: Female Desire vs. Societal Expectations
  • Critical Question: How does the poem illustrate the conflict between a woman’s physical desires and the social constraints of her time period?
  • Thesis Statement: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed” reveals the tension between a woman’s innate desires, shaped by biological forces, and the restrictive societal expectations placed upon her, leading to internal conflict.
• Topic: Imagery and Physicality
  • Critical Question: How does Millay’s use of vivid imagery and sensory details convey the intensity of the speaker’s physical response?
  • Thesis Statement: In “I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed,” Millay employs potent physical imagery to emphasize the overwhelming nature of female desire, highlighting a bodily experience often silenced in traditional literature.
• Topic: Shifting Power Dynamics
  • Critical Question: How does the speaker’s attitude shift throughout the poem, and what does this reveal about her changing sense of power?
  • Thesis Statement: While “I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed” begins with a focus on the speaker’s susceptibility to passion, it undergoes a significant turn, ultimately asserting the female speaker’s ability to regain agency and exert control over her own narrative.
• Topic: The Sonnet Form
  • Critical Question: In what ways does Millay’s use of the traditional sonnet form either support or subvert the poem’s themes?
  • Thesis Statement: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s deliberate choice of the sonnet form in “I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed” creates an interesting tension between the poem’s rebellious content and the strict structure it inhabits, reflecting a similar tension between female desire and societal expectations.

Questions/Answers about “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Question	Answer
What is the central conflict expressed in the poem?	The poem grapples with the conflict between the speaker’s biological impulses and societal restrictions imposed on women. Her physical desires are triggered by a man’s presence, yet these natural feelings clash with the expectations of her gender.
How does the speaker’s attitude change throughout the poem?	Initially, the speaker seems overwhelmed by passionate urges, acknowledging the “treason” of her “stout blood against my staggering brain.” However, the final lines reveal a defiant shift where she asserts control, deeming the physical “frenzy” insufficient reason for further interaction.
What is the significance of the poem’s title?	The title immediately establishes the speaker’s gender as central to her experience. The word “distressed” highlights the oppressive nature of the societal constraints and expectations she is subjected to as a woman.
How does the poem subvert traditional expectations of female behavior?	The poem challenges the notion of female passivity by its frank portrayal of desire. Additionally, the speaker’s final declaration of detachment upends the trope of women being overly influenced by emotion or physical attraction.

Literary Works Similar to “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

1. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot: While focusing on a male speaker, Prufrock’s internal anxieties and paralysis in the face of social expectations mirror the constraints of gender roles examined in Millay’s poem. Both works explore the complexities of social performance and the limitations it can impose on individual expression.
2. “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath: Plath’s confessional and often confrontational work shares thematic territory with Millay’s sonnet. Both poets explore female experiences within oppressive social structures, expressing themes of anger, defiance, and the struggle for autonomy.
3. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf: Woolf’s extended essay directly analyzes the social, historical, and economic barriers faced by women writers and creatives. This provides a strong theoretical and contextual framework for interpreting the constraints and challenges the speaker in Millay’s poem grapples with.
4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin: Chopin’s novel paints a complex portrait of a woman who confronts intense desires and profound dissatisfaction with the expectations imposed upon her in late 19th-century society. The focus on female subjectivity, exploration of desire, and questioning of social norms align with Millay’s portrayal of a woman navigating a similarly restrictive landscape.
5. Selected Fragments by Sappho: Though separated by centuries, Sappho’s lyric poetry offers a powerful example of early female voices expressing complex desires and experiences in a literary landscape dominated by male perspectives. This connection places Millay’s work within a broader legacy of women’s writing that challenges traditional depictions.

Suggested Readings: “I Being Born A Woman And Distressed” by Edna St Vincent Millay

Scholarly Monographs

• Duplessis, Rachel Blau. The Pink Guitar: Writing as Feminist Practice. Routledge, 1990.
  • Change: Includes a more specific title directly signaling a focus on feminist perspectives in literature.
  • Rationale: Duplessis is a renowned feminist scholar; her work on Millay would likely offer relevant insights.
• Walker, Cheryl. Masks Outrageous and Austere: Culture, Psyche, and Persona in the Work of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Indiana University Press, 1991.
  • Change: Title emphasis on “persona” suggests analysis of how Millay constructs her speaker’s voice – pertinent to your poem.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• You can keep the previously suggested articles or refine your search with these strategies:
  • Database Search: Employ terms like “gender,” “sexuality,” “female body,” along with the poem’s title on JSTOR, Project Muse, etc.
  • Citations: If you find a useful article, look at its bibliography. It might lead to other relevant sources.

Reputable Websites

• Poetry Foundation: “Edna St. Vincent Millay”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edna-st-vincent-millay
  • Rationale: Reputable, focused specifically on poetry.
• The Edna St. Vincent Millay Society: https://www.millay.org/
  • Rationale: Primary source for biographical information and potentially critical works on Millay.