Blog Post #2

I found Sanger's piece, "A Fight For Birth Control", and Anne Sexton's poems, "The Abortion," "Im Celebration of my Unterus," and "For My Lover, Returning to His Wife" to be very powerful. Out of all of the poems we have read, I felt that I understood these ones the best. I also thought that it It was very interesting to see that some of the issues that Sexton wrote about in the 1960's are still very applicable to today's society, despite the fact that it's been over 50 years since Sexton wrote the poems. I found it ironic that I was reading all of these passages during the vice presidential debate while Vice Presidential canidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan were discussing their views on  abortion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuAheWXDGeo),  and it truly made me realize that these are issues that will always remain very divided. Reading these poems and the excerpt made me realize that there is a lot to be taken into consideration when thinking about pregnancy, abortion, and contraception.

Sanger's excerpt, "A Fight For Birth Control" made me realize how intense this struggle truly was. I couldn't believe that Sanger was actually arrested for starting a birth control clinic. I was also shocked to see how long the birth control fight went on. All of the procedures that women had to go through to get abortions were absolutely horrible. Because women had no form of birth control, any time they wanted to have sex, they had the risk of getting pregnant. In the poem, the Doctor's only advice for preventing pregnancy was don't have sex, which was not an answer that made women happy and was overall, unlikely. Both abortion and childbirth could end in a woman dying. It made me sad that some women would rather risk their lives getting rid of the fetus than giving birth to the baby. It truly shows how trapped some women felt by sex, childbirth, and motherhood. Reading this article made me realize that abortion can never be made illegal because desperate women would resort to unsafe primitive practices, such as using a coat hanger, along with other procedures listed in the reading, which would cause even bigger problems for our country. We are so lucky to live in a time where women finally have control over their bodies.

Sexton's poem, "The Abortion," did a great job of highlighting the emotions that women go through when getting an abortion. The repitition of the phrase "Someone who should have been born is gone" is truly powerful. It really makes the reader think, sympathize with the woman, and feel her emotions. Getting an abotion is truly a huge decision that can potentially affect women for the rest of their lives. It can be extremely hard for women to come to terms with the fact that they aborted something that would have been a human life. Women have to accept a loss, despite the fact that the fetus was unborn or even merely a clump of tissues in some cases.Sometimes women face ridicule for their decision, such as being a coward for not keeping the baby, although I suppose the same could be said about women who are too afraid to get an aboriton as well. It is something that may always be on the woman's mind. Regardless, it is the woman's choice and people have no right to judge women because as this poem demonstrates, the decsion can truly torture women. We are fortunate to have different forms of contraceptives because abortion should not be used as birth control, as it can have a huge effect on women. Either way, these women deserve our support.

Sexton's poem, "In Celebration of My Uterus" was a huge contrast to "The Abortion," although I was able to see some similarites between both works. The one thing that united these poems was that both poems acknowledged the fact that life that is or was inside of them. For example, "In Celebration of My Uterus" started out with the line, "Everyone in me is a bird." Also, one poem talked about an abortion that was successful, while the other mentioned an abotion that never happened. This poem mentioned that each cell has a life, as well. It celebrates womanhood, the gift of life, and the prospects for the future. It also mentions that childbirth is the one thing that unites women everywhere. Despite our differences, where we live, and the jobs we have, the gift our uterus can give us is one thing that can unite us. Because we all have a uterus, we are capable of giving life, which is a beautiful thing. I really enjoyed the message of this poem. Like "The Abortion," despite the fact that it was written over 50 years ago, it is still very applicable to women today.

I also really enjoyed Sexton's poem, "For My Lover, Returning to His Wife." The speaker of the poem is very mature. She is very aware of the fact that her now ex-lover is still in love with his wife. He has a strong history with her, a family, and they complete each other. They have grown together. The speaker was merely a temporary fling. She washes off like water color paint, while his wife is solid, like a monument. The speaker even says, "I gave you back your heart, I gave you permission," allowing him to return back to his wife without a fight. However, I don't understand why the man had an affair  in the first place if the love for his wife was so strong. He has no excuse for it. The poem indicates that the wife is angry and wounded by her husband's actions, although she is trying to continue on with her life. This is very relatable to many women because often times, women will take their husbands back after an affiar because of the life they have together, the love that they share, and because it is scary to face life without them. However, I doubt that things will ever truly be the same between the wife and the husband, because as much as people try to pretend everything is alright, it is hard to forget, the hurt is still there, and the betrayal can be hard to move past.