BY HILARY THAM BECOMING A W OMAN Literature Guidebook
Contents Introduction 1 The Poem 2 Synopsis 3 Title and theme 4 Interpretations (poetic forms & structures) 11 Comparative Analysis 23 Conclusion 29 Reference 30
INTRODUCTION EDUCATION HILARY THAM (AUGUST 20, 1946 – JUNE 24, 2005) FAMILY ACHIEVEMENTS It provides readers with a deeper understanding of the poetic forms and structures used in shaping the rhythm and sound of this poem. This book also includes a discussion on how this poem is both similar and different when compared with another poem conveying the same message. In this guidebook, readers will find a detailed analysis on the poem “Becoming A Woman ” by Hilary Tham. It brings you on a visual tour to explore the connection between the poem’ s title, theme and the poet’ s background. Editor-in-Chief for The Word Works Poetry editor for Potomac Review Teacher at Yorktown High School & Williamsburg Middle School. Irish nun’ s convent school Dominican friars’ Catholic school Prep school in Kuala Lumpur University of Malaya (1969 Born in Klang, Malaysia to Chineseimmigrant parents married JewishAmerican Peace Corp worker, Joseph Goldberg migrated to United States 2nd prize in Virginia Poetry Prizes & 1990s Paterson Poetry Prize Washington Writers Publishing House Prize
BECOMING A WOMAN When I was twelve, my mother initiated me into the mysteries of becoming a woman with a pound of rice-paper, the unadvertised kind made from stalks and leaves, the stubble after the harvest. She taught me the art of crumpling, stretching, folding the sheafs into a likeness of Modess-factory-rejects. "You will bleed at a special time of the moon." she told me. "use these to reserve modesty and the secret of your femaleness." Her mother's way she passed to me with the few words she had received at her initiation. Each full moon I cursed the tides within my body. I abandoned tradition's rice-paper. I have forgiven the moon since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands. Hilary Tham 2
The poetry discusses initiation of a girl into a lady, a mother and a grandmother passing on the tradition and knowledge along with the initiation to the next generation. The poem discusses how the persona's mother started off by teaching her to use the rice paper as a modess signalling us that her daughter has reached puberty. Each time the persona would have her period she would be very upset and uncomfortable not understanding the reason behind the trouble. However the persona now a grandmother is blessed with children and grandchildren. She now understood her duty that she bears, that is to ensure the generation continues. s y n o p s i s Becoming a woman is a rite of passage that starts with the changes of early puberty and ends with a woman's first periods. A girl grows and changes in ways that prepares her to be able to have a baby. These changes occur in certain stages. Gender representations of females clearly take place in this poem. The poet perhaps tells the story within her own experiences of becoming a woman. For the poet she is a female and has undergone all these stages in her life and through this poem is one way for her to share the experience.
This poem is suitable for leisure reading among women of all ages. Reading the poem will give them a nostalgic experience as they will get to relate it with their own life experiences. Target Readers 1 Women Students Teen Girls It could teach the students to appreciate the menstrual process and responsibilities that they would endure as a woman. It could also teach the boys that females bear more pain than males in continuing the generation. This poem is suitable for teens to learn about how girls in the past grew up and experienced periods. It will teach them to appreciate the sacrifices of their mothers and grandmothers. 3 2
Title and Theme L I T E R A L A N D M E T A P H O R I C A L M E A N I N G
However, people who are really interested in poems will get an idea of the poem by just reading the title. Because they are used to it and they may recognize the words used in the title was familiar which is " woman " and they can easily relate to them. Besides, the title is also quite straightforward and understandable. The poem tells the story of the persona, a young 12- year-old girl who gets to know and learn about the menstrual cycle from her mother. Subsequently, the persona does not want to deal with the menstrual cycle for every full moon, which is every month, where she feels uncomfortable all the time. In the end, the persona understands and realizes that she has to go through the menstrual cycle and later, values being able to give birth to a newborn. By reading the title, we can actually uess some of the possible content of the particular written piece. But at the same time, the readers might get confused because they might think that it is something related to society, such as the woman ’ s journey since childhood and more. Probably the readers will think that the poem is about the responsibilities of a woman at home, at the workplace, and so on. But that was not meant by the poet Hillary Tham. L I T E R A L M E A N I N G
In this poem, the mother explains the persona that the menstrual cycle will happen every month, where all women will experience throughout their lives. But sometimes, the persona feels uncomfortable and dislikes the process of menstruation, where she has to bear the pain, cramps, and other pains. Finally, the persona realizes that she was wrong and understands that the menstrual cycle is a blessing that every woman receives, and appreciates the ability to give birth, which is something that only women could do. The poem "Becoming a Woman " describes the experience of the poet when she got her first period. Also, the poem shows that the poet manages to communicate her feelings by emphasizing on the important facts of the menstrual cycle. Besides, every woman can relate to this when they mature from a teenager to a women through the menstruation process. This poem is a great written piece, and it will definitely influence all the women, especially the teenagers who are in this generation. Because the current generation of teenagers can easily relate to themselves by reading this poem. METAPHORICAL MEANING
THEMES Coming of ages Adolescent changes Motherhood Menstruation to pregnancy
By reading the title itself, we can understand that there are a few themes that can be found in the poem "Becoming a Woman, " and we are going to look into the connection between the title and the theme. This will happen when a female goes through the puberty stage, where she will get to know about menstruation, period cramps, and so on. When a girl reaches the puberty stage, we can easily identify the changes in them where they will go from being kids to a young adult as they become physically and emotionally mature. CONNECTIONBETWEENTHE TITLE AND THE THEMES The first theme is coming of age and adolescent changes. The connection between the theme and the title is that the persona is entering into the next stage of her life, which is adulthood. In that particular stage, there will be some changes in a woman’s body.
The next theme would be motherhood. The connection between the theme and the title is that the persona’s mother taught her everything she knows about menstruation, including the hygiene. The first three stanzas explain what the mother shared her daughter about menstruation. As a mother, she educates her child by teaching her the menstruation process that she has to go through for each full moon, which is every month. The last theme would be menstruation to pregnancy. The connection between the theme and the title is that the poem literally appreciates the menstruation, where it helps to prepare all the women for a healthy pregnancy. At the end, the persona realizes that menstruation is a blessing for all women because it allows them to carry a child in their womb, which only a woman could do. T H E C O N N E C T I O N B E T W E E N T H E M E S & T I T L E
Poetic Forms & Structure T E C H N I C A L A S P E C T S & S O U N D
Stanza 1: When I was twelve, my mother initiated me into the mysteries of becoming a woman with a pound of rice-paper, the unadvertised kind made from stalks and leaves, the stubble after the harvest. Meaning: In this stanza, the character attempts to say that the character ' s mother shared a mythical knowledge of growing up or reaching early puberty. The mother presents the traditional white papers to her daughter. The mother teaches her daughter how to use stems and leaves to make sanitary napkins. Stanza 2: She taught me the art of crumpling, stretching, folding the sheafs into a likeness of Modess-factory-rejects. Meaning: In this stanza, the author ' s mother teaches her daughter how to use sanitary napkins, stretching, stretching, and folding them to make them comfortable and comfortable for women. Stanza 1: When I was twelve, my mother initiated me into the mysteries of becoming a woman with a pound of rice-paper, the unadvertised kind made from stalks and leaves, the stubble after the harvest. Meaning: In this stanza, the character attempts to say that the character ' s mother shared a mythical knowledge of growing up or reaching early puberty. The mother presents the traditional white papers to her daughter. The mother teaches her daughter how to use stems and leaves to make sanitary napkins. Stanza 2: She taught me the art of crumpling, stretching, folding the sheafs into a likeness of Modess-factory-rejects. Meaning: In this stanza, the author ' s mother teaches her daughter how to use sanitary napkins, stretching, stretching, and folding them to make them comfortable and comfortable for women.
Stanza 3: "You will bleed at a special time of the moon. " she told me. " use these to reserve modesty and the secret of your femaleness. " Meaning: In this stanza, the writer ' s mother describes what puberty is and when the bleeding occurs. Based on the explanation, we as readers can see that the bleeding only occurs during a specific period of one moon/month. To maintain cleanliness, the author suggests using sanitary napkins in terms of hygiene and feminine secrets. Stanza 4: Her mother ' s way she passed to me with the few words she had received at her initiation. Meaning: In this stanza, the author wanted to say that it had finally become meaningful for a daughter to go through this phase of becoming a woman and it was her mother who would think of her daughter to become a woman through her own experience and what her deceased mother had told her. Stanza 3: "You will bleed at a special time of the moon. " she told me. " use these to reserve modesty and the secret of your femaleness. " Meaning: In this stanza, the writer ' s mother describes what puberty is and when the bleeding occurs. Based on the explanation, we as readers can see that the bleeding only occurs during a specific period of one moon/month. To maintain cleanliness, the author suggests using sanitary napkins in terms of hygiene and feminine secrets. Stanza 4: Her mother ' s way she passed to me with the few words she had received at her initiation. Meaning: In this stanza, the author wanted to say that it had finally become meaningful for a daughter to go through this phase of becoming a woman and it was her mother who would think of her daughter to become a woman through her own experience and what her deceased mother had told her.
Stanza 5: Each full moon I cursed the tides within my body. I abandoned tradition ' s rice-paper. Meaning: In this stanza, the writer is weary and despises menstruation. She stopped using the traditional white papers even after her mother gave her period instructions. Stanza 6: I have forgiven the moon since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands. Meaning: In this stanza, the author admits her stupidity in not respecting her menstrual phase in adulthood. As stated in the stanza, the author forgives herself and understands the importance of menstruation after becoming a mother. Stanza 5: Each full moon I cursed the tides within my body. I abandoned tradition ' s rice-paper. Meaning: In this stanza, the writer is weary and despises menstruation. She stopped using the traditional white papers even after her mother gave her period instructions. Stanza 6: I have forgiven the moon since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands. Meaning: In this stanza, the author admits her stupidity in not respecting her menstrual phase in adulthood. As stated in the stanza, the author forgives herself and understands the importance of menstruation after becoming a mother.
Stanza is a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem. In the poem, there are 6 stanzas in total. Stanza 1: 5 lines Stanza 2: 3 lines Stanza 3: 5 lines Stanza 4: 3 lines Stanza 5: 3 lines Stanza 6: 3 lines It is a unit of language that divides the poem. In the poem, the number of lines is: Stanza 1: 11, 13, 12, 9, 5 syllables Stanza 2: 8, 8, 11 syllables Stanza 3: 3, 8, 5, 10, 5 syllables Stanza 4: 8, 8, 5 syllables Stanza 5: 7, 9, 6 syllables Stanza 6: 8, 8, 5 syllables It is the smallest form of sound that usually contains a vowel between consonants. In the poem, the number of syllable in each line is:
Stanza 1: A, B, C, D, E Stanza 2: A, B, C Stanza 3: A, B, C, D, E Stanza 4: A, B, C Stanza 5: A, B, C Stanza 6: A, B, C It is the ending words that have the same sound. The beat of the poem consists of unstressed and stressed syllables, which can only be measured by a meter. IAMBIC TETRAMETER A stanza in a tetrameter has four metrical feet in it. In this poem, most of the stanzas consist of a tetrameter in every line. For example, “When I was twelve, | my mother initiated me|” The first line in the first stanza represents the tetrameter.
Alliteration is the presence of the same letter or sounds at the start of words that are very close to one another. For example, I have forgiven the moon since Our children came, spores of sunrise In their new born hands. The ‘ spores of sunshine ’ share the same first consonant sound. Stanza 1: unadvertised kind, stalks and leaves Stanza 2: crumpling, stretching, folding Stanza 3: use these, reserve modesty, special time Stanza 4: - Stanza 5: abandoned tradition ’ s Stanza 6: children came It is the usage of the same repeating vowel sounds.
Poetic Forms & Structure M E A N I N G & I M A G E S O F W O R D S
Hilary Tham Goldberg is a 68 years old poet, painter, and teacher. Hillary Tham has established herself as one of Asia ’ s most well-known poets. She was born in Klang in 1994. Her poetry incorporates elements of Chinese, American, and Jewish traditions. Her poetry published under the name Hilary Tham is the author of nine collections of poetry, Hillary Tham ' s poetry focuses on female feminism, the sacrifice they ’ ve made, and the range of problems they face simply because they are female. In this case, Hilary Tham ' s poetry "Becoming a woman " contains several portals of the transition from childhood to adulthood. The transition from girl to woman is a rite of passage that begins with early puberty changes and ends with a woman ’ s menstruation
A metaphor is when there is a comparison between two various things which share something in common. This can be seen in stanza 2 lines 1,2 and 3. She taught me the art of crumpling, stretching, and folding the sheaves into a likeness of Modess factory rejects. An allusion is when we hint at something and expect the other person to understand what we are referencing. The allusions as a style static device to help contextualize a story, this can be seen in stanza 2. ...into a likeness of modded-factoryrejects.
A figure of speech an idea or a thing given a human ’ s feelings or attributes is spoken with a non-living object. In stanza 1: my mother initiated me into (the mysteries) of becoming a woman with a pound of rice-paper, In stanza 5: cursed (the tides) within my body. In stanza 6: I have forgiven (the moon) since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands. A simile is a comparison of two unrelated objects. Similes employ connecting verbs like "like, " " and, " and " as. " In stanza 2 : “(likeness) of Modess-factory-rejects. ”
The tone is a literary phrase that mainly relates to the mood that is suggested by the author ' s word choice and how a text might make a reader feel it. The tone that the author of a poem chooses can provoke a wide range of emotions and viewpoints. As soon as the reader reads "I cursed the tides " in stanza 5 and "I have forgiven the moon since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands, " in verse 6, the reader will be able to sense the tone. At initially, the author ' s emotion is expressed as one of fury, but towards the end of the poem, it has changed to one of realization. This is true because, as readers, we can notice a significant shift in stanza 5' s “I cursed the tides. I abandoned.. ” and stanza 6 “I have forgiven the moon since our children came, spores of sunrise in their newborn hands ” respectively, in verse 6.
Comparative Analysis
At 14 while on my first period No aware of use and keep the pad Red drops on the floor of class They were loughing- "it's so sad." Back to home with stain, words Held the stomach and fell on bed Said to mom "I am going to die Beetween two leg thing of shy." Mom hug me held on her arms "My girl you are growing not bad" Not clear still confused on blood Why pain on stomach and on head. So I am sad and will stay always Sight from society, fun they made Sad during the pain and can't share Sad the freedom sate under shade. -Sandeep Sindhwal on the periods
·Emotional connection. Both of the poem enables to emotional connected to the poem especially woman/young womans would really understand it. The way how the poem is delivered is very much in a soft tone. ·Started up with sad settings. Both poem began with a sad theme ·Both about feminism and menstruation. Both the poem describes about menstruation and the emotions being a women SIMILARITIES
BECOMING A WOMAN vs ON THE PERIOD When i was twelve RHYTHM Held on her arms Both poems have rhythm and both poems used the tetrameter as a rhythm in order to help the reader to read fluently. Tetrameter is where the poet used four beats together in a single line of a poem and it consists of four syllables. There is more than 1tetrameter is used in both poems. For example, in the first poem, "Becoming a Woman" , the persona mentioned, "When I was twelve" . While, in the second poem, "On The Period" , the persona mentioned, "held on her arms" . Both have a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one. SIMILARITIES
BECOMING A WOMAN vs ON THE PERIOD Greatful TONE Unappreciative Meanwhile, in the second poem, "On The Period" , the persona is sad throughout the poem, even though her mother tries to tell her that she ' s growing and that ' s a natural process for all females. Even so, she feels sad because of her friends, who made fun of her during the pain. In the first poem, "Becoming a Woman", the persona was sad at first because of the menstrual cycle, where she feels discomfort, pain, and so on. But from her mother's teaching, she learns, and at the end of the poem, the persona realized that the menstrual cycle is a process of becoming a mother in the future, and she feels grateful for that. DIFFERENCES
·Poem A rhyme scheme is ({ABCDE}, {ABC)}. Poem B rhyme scheme is ({A,B,C,A}), (A.B,C.C}), ({A,B,B,B}), ({A,B,C,B}) comparing the end rhymes. ·Poem A is written by the poet herself. Poem B is written by a male by viewing menstruation from a female’s perception. ·In Poem A, more Chinese tradition is mentioned along with antiquated settings. Poem B is quite in a modern setting. ·Poem A is a Narrative poem because it tells us a story based on real-life experience. It also has elements of fiction but lacks rhyme scheme, metrical pattern, and musical form. It consists of only two types of stanzas which is Quintet (5 lines) and Tercet (3 lines). Poem B is a quatrain, a verse with four lines. Quatrains are popular in poetry because they are compatible with different rhyme schemes and rhythmic patterns structured. DIFFERENCES
CONCLUSION In conclusion, We gained valuable experience by understanding the method and acquiring the elements contained in the poem such as interpretation, technical details, poem analysis, figurative language, and comparative analysis. Poetry helps in understanding diverse points of view. Poetry helps students recognize and interpret the perspectives of individuals around the globe. In that case, this is an important education for all learners. Aside from poetry, Hilary Tham’ s "Becoming a woman ” highlights the receiving of feminine knowledge, which only women going through it can fully grasp. This poem describes the passage from infancy to maturity through every struggle that women go through. These modifications occur in phases. There is a clear depiction of the feminine gender in this poetry. Finally, a poetic visual guidebook enables students to improve their thinking skills. It may provide them with a new mindset and enhance their intellectual skills, which may guide them in the future by generating brainstorming ideas.
REFERENCES Wikipedia contributors. (2022, February 21). Hilary Tham. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Tha m LiTeRaTuRe, M. (n.d.). Hilary Tham. https://malaysianlites.blogspot.com/2009 /03/hilary-tham_30.html On The Periods Poem by Sandeep Sindhwal Sandy. (n.d.). https://internetpoem.com/sandeepsindhwal-sandy/on-the-periods-poem/ Beltway Poetry Quarterly. (n.d.). Tham, Hilary - Beltway Poetry Quarterly. https://www.beltwaypoetry.com/poetry/p oets/names/tham-hilary/ Blog. 2008, May 6th, Malaysian Literature In English, Poem "Becoming A Woman" By Hilary Tham. Retrieved from http://malaysianliteraturecfoo.blogspot.c om/2008/05/poem-becoming-woman-byhilary-tham.html
Meet the Team Asshalini a/p Mahesvaran 012021071679 Harita a/p Selva Rajoo 012021071844 Kithangeni Kanagasabai (012021091039) Leka a/p Arumugam Moorthy 012021071933 Maadhumitaa a/p Kulantevelu 012021071380 Precillia Isidore Selvi 012021071840