Dear Eavan Boland

First I would like to say that greatly enjoyed reading your poem, “It’s a Woman’s World.” It shows a great journey from where woman began and where they are now. I was able to make many different connections throughout the poem to my life as it is today. Yes, I had to read and reread this poem over and over again to realize its true means and message, but in the end I am proud to say that your message really inspired me.

The structures of the overall poem was very well put together and clearly portrayed a journey to me. You began with “Our way of life has hardly changed” (1-2) which instantly lead me to think about how my culture and its morals have influenced me. There are so many aspects in my Vietnamese culture that “has hardly changed” (2) in centuries. Especially how I, as a young Vietnamese girl, was expected to only go to school and once home, provide help to our mothers with her task around the house. At the moment of realizing how much I had in common with just reading the first stanza of the poem, I was excited to find something relatable to and continued on.

As I processed in reading, I came across the tenth stanza which strongly portrayed the definition of my family. I have always seen my parents as the uptight, overly protective and hovering parents. “Our windows moth our children to the flame” (39-40) made me picture a family huddling around a nice warm fireplace telling, sharing stories. I connected to this very well because as the younger of two daughters, raised in a strict Catholic, Vietnamese family, I have always been sheltered and kept away from many influences of society. Rules are rules and as the youngest, I dared not to even try to bend one.

Overall there are many little details that you have includes throughout this poem that I can really relate to, as a woman, or just as a young teenager growing up. I believe that there is more to this poem than just the views on woman, but also how woman strive to change as the years go by. Our strength and enduring characteristics, truly defines a woman. Thank you for your time and inspiring work of art.

Sincerely.

       Carol Nguyen