Women

“The Nature of This Flower Is to Bloom” by Alice Walker (1973)

This poem from Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems could be considered a sequel to “Women” because it speaks of “blooming gloriously” (Line 6), which the women of Walker’s generation could do because her mother’s generation made sacrifices. “The Nature of This Flower Is to Bloom” is a short poem that utilizes lines with only a few powerful words to express itself, quite similar to the form of “Women.”

“Be Nobody’s Darling” by Alice Walker (1973)

Like “Women,” “Be Nobody’s Darling” is from Walker’s Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems collection. The poem repeatedly encourages the reader to “be an outcast” (Line 2). This call to individuality evokes a similar theme in “Women,” in which the women of Walker’s mother’s generation went against their traditional roles to make change for future generations.

“When You Thought Me Poor” by Alice Walker (2010)

This celebrated poem shows the journey of the speaker from poverty to comfortable living by “dreaming and hard work” (Line 7), which the women of Walker’s mother’s generation wanted for the next generation in “Women.” Alongside the theme of classicism is racism, as the speaker of this poem states that her Blackness has remained the same but societal attitudes toward race have wavered and shifted.