A Feminist Reading of the poem 'This is a Photograph of Me' by Margaret Atwood

Abstract

'This is a Photograph of Me' is one of the best poems of  Margaret Atwood. The poem is divided into two parts that present through the use of symbols and imagery the dark side of the modern world. The paper will be analysed through a feminist perspective to show how the male-dominated society marginalises and subjugates women. Although the poem does not suggest the gender of the victim, the use of the imagery does make it clear that the poem is about a woman who is dead. The paper will also show how the writer by giving the voice to the dead symbolises a patriarchal society that has always marginalised women. The paper will also show the two aspects of society that are presented in two parts of the poem. One aspect presents an ideal image of a happy home which is just a mask beneath which lies the real picture of a world which is dark, aggressive and male-dominated.