I Knew A Woman By Theodore Roethke

Good morning/afternoon and thank you all for attending my session of Poetry Week. Today, I would like to introduce you to a modern love poem called “I Knew a Woman” written by American poet, Theodore Roethke in the 1960s. In my session today, I will present an analysis of this poem by firstly, discussing its overall representation of love and secondly, by looking at two poetic devices used by the poet. Finally, I will conclude my session by comparing and contrasting this poem to a metaphysical poem written in the 17th century.

So firstly, what exactly does I Knew a Woman have to say about love? In a general sense, Roethke depicts love as a deeply erotic affair between two lovers. In particular, the poet worships his female partner’s seductive

Overall, this allusion represents the female persona as the dominant and the male persona as the submissive. The most obvious allusion of “Turn, Counter-turn and Stand” is the reference to Latin American dance movements. By associating their lovemaking to dancing, he suggests that their relationship is naturally-flowing whilst also implying that there is a certain sense of beauty behind their eroticism. However, from my perspective, a different reading of the phrase is the allusion to the sport of hunting using greyhounds. Clearly, the actions of “turning” and “counter-turning” are common imperatives used by the hunter to direct the greyhound. Adding to this, the term ‘stand’ refers to the position the greyhound assumes when it has caught its prey, and it thus paints him in a meek and compliant light. Through these terms, Roethke conveys to the reader that he is like an obedient dog in the relationship. He is completely devoted to her and keenly follows her commands and he chases after prey as if he were chasing after her love and affection. On the other hand, the woman is clearly depicted as a dominatrix in an authoritative position where she rewards Roethke with her love in return. This reflects her assertive role in the relationship, which conveys to readers the unusual yet unique quality of their affair since

Firstly, the main similarity is that both poems represent love as an erotic and sensual experience. For example, in Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress”, he enforces the sexual gratification he would gain through the lines “Let us roll all our sweetness up into one ball, and tear our pleasures with rough strife.” Marvell also clearly reinforces his coercion of the female to consummate the relationship seen here: “at once our time devour.” Although many of us will find this distasteful, this attitude is understandable in the 17th century as longevity was much shorter than today’s and an emphasis was placed on finding a long-term partner. However, there is also a major difference between the two poems, which really characterises the poets’ contrasting perspectives about love. In Marvell’s poem, he focuses strongly on the seduction of his female partner by objectifying her physical appearance and innocence. This can be observed through these lines here. On the other hand, Roethke’s partner actually retains her individuality and he worships that aspect of her instead. Ultimately, both Roethke and Marvell reflect the changing attitudes towards love especially in regards to how women are depicted such as their more dominant roles in romantic relationships and their autonomy and independence. It