Marks Analysis Linda Pastan

Marks - Linda Pastan (1932-present)

Linda Pastan was raised in New York City and now lives outside of Washington, D.C. She is known for her poetry about marriage, parenting, and grief. She took a ten year period off from her writing to raise her family, and she has much interest for the anxieties that exist under the surface of everyday life.

Marks

My husband gives me an A
for last night's supper,
an incomplete for my ironing,
a B plus in bed.
My son says I am average,
an average mother, but if
I put my mind to it
I could improve.
My daughter believes
in Pass/Fail and tells me
I pass.  Wait 'til they learn
I'm dropping out.

Being a high school student where so much stress is put on grades this poem struck me as very interesting because I had never considered that others may grade us on what we do outside the classroom in a way similar to how we are graded in it. The speaker's family compares the speaker's everyday performances to classes in school, grading her according to their opinion of her. "An A for last night's supper, incomplete for my ironing, a B plus in bed." The speaker doesn't seem so enthusiastic about the way her family is judging her worth, her value. In a way the depressed speaker is being overwhelmed by her "schoolwork," like many students become when they cannot meet the standards set for them by others. The irony here is that rather than the parents marking their children, it is the children and the husband who are marking the mother, who is commonly thought to be the most important figure in the household and the one who keeps order. However, it is true that most mothers are underappreciated in their efforts for their families. We are led to believe that the speaker is going to take some sort of action, as she continues the metaphor by "dropping out." Will she leave? Will she voice her unhappiness and stress? Is this a suicide note? 

Regardless, this metaphor makes it clear that instead of belittling those we love, we need to appreciate the good in our friends and family members before they decide they no longer want anything to with us.