Poem analysis by Nova Starr S. Lacerna I got flowers today Poem by Paulette Kelly c1999 Poem analysis by Nova Starr S. Lacerna

I got flowers today - Paulette Kelly It wasn't my birthday or any other special day. We had our first argument last night,  And he said a lot of cruel things that really hurt me.  I know he is sorry and didn't mean the things he said.  Because he sent me flowers today. Insert an audio reading of the poem. Record it myself maybe. Margaux’s phone.

I got flowers today.  It wasn't our anniversary or any other special day.  Last night, he threw me into a wall and started to choke me. It seemed like a nightmare.  I couldn't believe it was real.  I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over.  I know he must be sorry.  Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today,  and it wasn't Mother's Day or any other special day.  Last night, he beat me up again.  And it was much worse than all the other times.  If I leave him, what will I do?  How will I take care of my kids?  What about money?  I'm afraid of him and scared to leave.  But I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today.  Today was a very special day.  It was the day of my funeral.  Last night, he finally killed me.  He beat me to death.  If only I had gathered enough courage and strength to leave him,  I would not have gotten flowers...today. 

The Elements of the Poem Add falling purple leaves.

Structure Contemporary Dramatic Monologue The poem is a wherein the SPEAKER is a WOMAN. It is a vers libre poem; there are no meter patterns and rhyme scheme

Characters Woman Husband She is a battered wife and a worried mother. a brutal husband and a killer.

Setting It is not stated but there is an implication that it is at a house in the evening time which shifts to the morning. place time

Imagery The images are connected to the dramatic situation because they are like the mobile scenes in a movie. All the 4 unpleasant images in the poem appeal to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses.

Image 1 1st fight: The couple was fighting and the husband said many cruel words to the wife. The next day, the husband sent her some flowers.

Image 2 Worsening fight: The husband threw the wife to wall and choked her. The woman woke up in the morning with a body full of bruises but she received flowers from her husband. Worsening fight:

Image 3 Enraged battery: The husband continues to furiously batter his wife. The wife starts to think of leaving but she weights her decision by the consequences. In the morning, she receives flowers again.

Final image Eternal rest: The husband excessively batters the wife to DEATH.

The dead wife expressed her Final Image Eternal rest: In the line “If only I had gathered enough courage and strength to leave him. . . “  The dead wife expressed her regret for just receiving the flowers not fighting back.

Imagery The images is the DOMINATING ELEMENT amongst all elements because the message is being clearly delivered to the readers using images and scenes of a wife being battered by the husband. There is a pattern of the husband beating her every night

Imagery and Organic Unity And every morning, there is an image of her being left with flowers. The images is used as a unifier of the elements thus emancipating a tone of violence and fear and giving it’s ultimate effect on the readers in the campaign against violence on women.

Simile “It seemed like a nightmare” – The wife’s experience was compared to a terrifying dream where she felt helplessness. Irony There was no special or happy event but the wife gets flowers. Instead she receives it because something horrifying at home is happening.

symbol Flowers – a symbol for apology of the husband who hurt his wife -- a symbol for tolerance of the wife’s suffering of her husband’s violence. -- a symbol for the funeral for the wife

Theme “ I got flowers today . . . The repeated lines in every stanza, which serve as the chorus in the poem is: “ I got flowers today . . . . . . Because he sent me flowers today” It also serves as the theme of the poem: SUFFERING due to DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

Theme Domestic violence! Fighting and misunderstanding between couples is a normal part of a relationship but it becomes unacceptable and even unforgivable to physically hurt someone. Nothing, not even a marriage contract, gives you the license to ABUSE someone.

Think about all the unreported cases . . . The issue of domestic violence on women here in the Philippines is not really new. The graph below shows the statistics of reported cases on violence on women in the country. (UNHCR, 2011) Think about all the unreported cases . . .

We must support the campaign against domestic violence on women because it causes trauma and death. We must respect women for who they are because they too are humans and therefore has feelings.

Muchas gracias to: wikispaces.com

Muchas gracias to: google.com.ph

Muchas gracias to: deviantart.com

Muchas gracias to: bigoo.ws

Muchas gracias to: jacksonfreepress.com

Muchas gracias to: graceojesus.com

Muchas gracias to: womesphere.wordpress.com

and Muchas gracias to: alternet.org

Poem analysis by Nova Starr S. Lacerna I got flowers today Poem by Paulette Kelly c1999 Poem analysis by Nova Starr S. Lacerna