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Meaning Of The Literal Bitch

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With that in mind, the poems central metaphor inherent in the literal bitch is carried to yet another level. The word bitch contains it’s own set of layers, which mirror the layers of the poem as a whole. The literal meaning, female dog, appears on the surface; however, even it’s use in the title does not evoke that literal image as much as it does the conventional label for assertive women. Whilst that meaning does remain present throughout the poem, the bitch acts in a literal sense when she is ‘barking hysterically’, expressing her anger. Still, the metaphorical dog is also a bitch in the more conventional sense - she is irritating and constantly tries to undermine the narrator as she pursues her own, less socially acceptable, objectives. used as an insult for a bad, be it assertive or aggressive Yet …show more content…

Kizer’s bitch also refuses to go along with the superficial niceties the narrator is attempting to actuate, yet during the poem there is a noticeable shift in the dynamics of the bitch and the narrators tone. At first, the narrator is nice and the bitch is angry, whilst later the bitch grovels in her attempts to reunite with her husband and the narrator becomes more assertive to keep the bitch in line. At the same time, the narrator conveys anger in her somewhat sarcastic recount of times past: ‘“Give my regards to your wife”, I say. You gag As I drag you off by the scruff, Saying, “Goodbye! Goodbye! Nice to have seen you again”. (32-34). These lines juxtapose surface niceties and ulterior

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