Necessities of Life

Renowned American poet Adrienne Rich’s “Necessities of Life” was published in 1966 as a part of a collection of the same name. While this poem is not Rich’s most well-known, it embodies an important moment in her trajectory as an artist and activist. In the poem, she reflects on her art and her life while in the midst of a radical change that would revolutionize her later works. Most scholarly thought positions the speaker of this poem as the poet herself. Originally published as “Thirty-Three,” a reference to Rich's age, the poem is an introspective reflection on her evolution as an artist and woman.

An important figure in second-wave feminism, both in literary and activist terms, Rich was most influential through her choice of subject and theme. This poem, written in the confessional genre, makes typically personal and private experiences into the political and public. In this way, the poem is a form of activism.

Poet Biography

Adrienne Rich was an American poet, feminist essayist, and activist with a career that spanned seven decades.

Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1929. Her father was Jewish and her mother Southern Protestant; Rich and her younger sister were raised Christian. Her father, a renowned pathologist, wanted Rich to be a prodigy and encouraged her to read and write poetry. The drive to fulfill her parents’ ambitions and to achieve greatness informs her poetry throughout her career.