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Background
It is hard to disagree that the topic of the family may be difficult and heartbreaking for many people. To make it easier to relive happy or sad memories of the family, some poets devote their poems to this topic. For example, in “My Wicked Wicked Ways,” written in 1987 by Sandra Cisneros, the speaker looks at an old family photo and feels rather sad than happy while remembering some facts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary and analysis of this literary work.
Summary of the Poem
As mentioned above, it gets evident from the speaker’s words that they are looking at their old family photograph. Their parents and the baby speaker are depicted in it, and while casually describing their looks, the speaker also decides to mention a specific and sad detail. The readers learn that the family was happy at that time, but the father, who looked like Errol Flynn (Cisneros 3), was already having an affair with another woman (Cisneros 16-18). It is rather interesting that the speaker provides the readers with a complete description of their father:
He is wearing a hat
that tips over one eye,
a suit that fits him good,
and baggy pants (Cisneros 4-7).
At the same time, the readers can never get a description of the mother, and the first fact that they learn about her is that “she is not crying” (Cisneros 13). One may think that only this detail catches the eye of the speaker looking at their mother. It becomes evident from the poem that the news about the father’s affair will greatly anger the mother and perhaps even break her and the speaker’s hearts. Further, it is difficult to be certain whether the father stays in the family or leaves for another woman. Everything the reader learns is that “years and years will pass. / My mother will stop mentioning it.” (Cisneros 26-27). The speaker ends their story by mentioning that their own future will probably disappoint their mother. The poem is rather sad, and it is possible to say that the speaker would prefer their family to stay as happy as in the photo.
Main Themes
In this poem, the author touches on several important topics, including childhood and one’s journey to wickedness. As for the first theme, it is possible to suggest that the speaker misses their childhood and wishes everything remained as happy, careless, and joyful. For most people, childhood is a perfect time when bad situations are unnoticed. The moment depicted in the photograph may be one of the last moments of the speaker’s family happiness. The second theme is connected to the title of the poem. Since the speaker mentions that they turned out bad, one may say that the reason it happened is the broken happiness of the family and the parents’ attitudes. The father turned out to be a liar, and the mother became too sad and cried too much, which probably stopped her from paying close attention to her child.
Literary Devices Used in the Poem
In “My Wicked Wicked Ways,” there is a number of literary devices that allow the author to make it sadder and more poetic. For example, when mentioning that the mother is not crying (Cisneros 13), the author uses irony. Further, it is stated that the father wears two-toned shoes (Cisneros 10), which is a metaphor that shows his duplicity and the presence of a double life. Another metaphor is that upon learning about his mistress, the mother throws one shoe (Cisneros 22) as if getting rid of one of the father’s parallel lives. Finally, the readers also learn that the mother “cannot look into the lens / because the sun is bright” (Cisneros 14-15). This is another metaphor that may indicate that she feels that something is wrong but does not want to admit it. The author also uses enjambment, anaphora, and alliteration.
Work Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. My Wicked Wicked Ways. Vintage, 1992.
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