31 pages • 1 hour read
To a Daughter Leaving Home
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Writing Prompts
1. Pastan is a late Modernist or “confessional” poet and can be compared with other feminist poets of the time like Sylvia Plath. In what ways does Pastan’s speaker show her own empowerment in the domestic, everyday event of teaching her daughter to ride a bicycle? How does she empower her daughter? Are there ways in which the speaker seems limited by a traditional gender role? Discuss.
2. The poem “At the San Francisco Airport” by Yvor Winters is also about a parent watching his child leave home. Compare and contrast Winters’ poem with “To a Daughter Leaving Home.” In what ways are the two similar? How do the two poems differ? Consider form, tone, language, poetic devices, and theme. Give evidence from each text to support your ideas. Conclude by sharing which poem has a stronger emotional effect on you. Why do you feel this way?
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