{"id":2702,"date":"2021-12-13T16:37:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T21:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/?p=2702"},"modified":"2021-12-13T18:12:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T23:12:59","slug":"the-complete-mother-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/bhaskar\/the-complete-mother-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Complete Mother Unit\u201d: A Look at Society’s Expectations for Mothers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abby Waddell’s untitled poem was published in Up From Under’<\/em>s September 1970 issue. This poem describes a woman’s inner self-image, which contrasts that of society and her own children’s image of her.<\/p><\/div>\n

During the Women\u2019s Liberation Movement, women sought to reclaim their identity beyond their socially-defined role. Before the movement, women were primed to be perfect, ideal mothers. In the editorial statement of Up From Under<\/em>\u2019s September 1970 issue, the editors explain \u201cchildhood and adolescence for a girl is very much a period of training in the basic skills for the job of wife and mother. We are apprentices to our mothers. We learn, willingly or unwillingly, sooner or later, to cook, iron, shop, sew, wash dishes, floors, and clothes and take care of children\u201d (Albert et al.2). Generations of women\u2019s experiences with society\u2019s institutions and expectations have molded this seemingly inescapable model of motherhood. In the September 1970 issue, the editors feature Abby Waddell\u2019s untitled poem, which satirizes society\u2019s model of a perfected motherhood. Waddell describes:<\/p>\n

I, myself, was walking
\ndouble jointed, head
\na balloon with a string tied to shoulders \u2026
\nAnd my children the darlings, Who did they see?
\nAll in one piece, the complete mother unit,
\nFamiliar old model, a toasted cheese sandwich,
\nefficient their mother,
\nMe (Waddell 48)<\/p>\n

Here, Waddell highlights the complexity of motherhood: while outwardly the mother conforms to societal expectations, inwardly she feels completely different. As a mother, she has a duty she is expected to fulfill. According to society\u2019s definition, mothers must efficiently raise the next generation of workers. Because of an expectation for their mother\u2019s efficiency and perfection, children see their mothers \u201call in one piece, the complete mother unit, familiar old model.\u201d Mothers portray this perfected version of motherhood. As a consequence of this portrayal, they must limit their own personality, which they may never have the opportunity to express. A woman\u2019s children inevitably become her identity. However, through the speaker\u2019s inner thoughts, Waddell recognizes the identity of many women beyond their societally-defined title. Therefore, Waddell and other feminist poets strive to remind women that they are more than mothers. These poets invigorate women to develop beyond their title of mother and explore more freedoms. They argue women can have children, raise them, and enjoy them, but they can also simultaneously develop themselves.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Albert, Marilyn, et al., editors. Up From Under, vol. 1, no. 2, 1970, pp. 1\u201369.<\/p>\n

Waddell, Abby. \u201cUntitled.\u201d Up From Under, vol. 1, no. 2, 1970, pp. 48-48.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the Women\u2019s Liberation Movement, women sought to reclaim their identity beyond their socially-defined role. Before the movement, women were primed to be perfect, ideal mothers. In the editorial statement of Up From Under\u2019s September 1970 issue, the editors explain … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2642,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bhaskar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2642"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2702"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2799,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2702\/revisions\/2799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl113-f18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}