Beauty By Tony Hoagland Summary

Tony Hoagland’s poem ‘Beauty’ examines the concept of a woman’s beauty seen through the eyes of her brother, who is also the narrator of the poem. This poem conveys the topic of how everything we do and everything that is around us is beautiful in its own unique way. Women tend to focus more on their physical appearances rather than the beauty inside themselves, which is shown through Hoagland’s perspective. The girl in the poem describes how physically attractive she is but fails to see the beauty inside of her which sparks a hidden concern in the brother. However, when the girl’s outer beauty fades, it is evident that she somewhat loses herself too as she starts to see everyone around her more as beautiful and elegant. She is always wanting

I say, It’s in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman” (Angelou, 2-10). This states how the narrator is self-aware and proud of how they look. It shows how beauty is in every part of one’s body, which should always be admired and looked upon. These lines can connect to the way the narrator describes the girl because it shows how she tries to hide her stomach by sucking it in, standing a certain way while the lines from the narrator speaking in this poem shows how all parts of one’s body should not be hidden or covered but rather knowing that everyone looks different and should not be comparing themselves to other people. An example of when the narrator’s sister starts comparing herself is: “Then one day her time of prettiness was over, done, finished, and all those other beautiful women in the magazines and on the streets just kept on being beautiful everywhere you looked,” (Hoagland, 32-37). It is evident that the moment the girl loses her ‘beauty’ everyone starts to look more attractive than her because they had what she didn’t have which was looks. She starts to compare herself to them, which causes insecurities to arise in

It does for the narrator’s sister as it describes the last line as if she is letting go of the mindset that physical appearance is everything and becoming this new person who now feels beautiful inside and out. There is the aspect of beauty which comes in all shapes and forms. It states how one should always be proud and admire themselves for who they are and love every part of what they see in the mirror. Inner beauty is what makes everyone beautiful since its more about how people treat each other which should be with kindness, empathy, and gentleness. The actions are what makes someone ‘beautiful’. This can relate to the poem ‘I still matter’ by Patricia A Flemming which is basically about how looks don’t always stay. Everyone gets old and old. It’s the acts that one does to make themselves appear more attractive. The narrator states: “So maybe to some I look ugly and old, a person who barely exists. I'm still quite aware of the beauty inside, and my value should not be dismissed.” (Flemming, 36-40). These lines state how people should not judge each other and think less of each other solely based on appearance or