Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1963

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

"Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” is divided into 10 sections; each section contains one to three stanzas. There is no pattern as to the how the stanzas and sections are divided except with respect to the content: Each section presents an independent "snapshot." The poem is penned in free verse which largely mimics the flow of natural speech, thus lacking any structured rhyme or rhythm. The use of free verse also uses enjambment—a technique involving the continuation of a thought from one line to another without end stop punctuation. Rich liberally uses enjambment: In Lines 12-13, she writes, “Nervy, glowering, your daughter / wipes the teaspoons, grows another way.”

The form of "Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” is distinctly different from that of Rich’s previous poetry, which employed more formal and conventional metrical structures. The thematic content of the poem involving the exploration of a woman’s place in society and the restrictions placed upon her, also marks a deviation in the subject matter she tackled prior to this. The choice of free verse goes hand-in-hand with the poem’s subject and themes, as Rich breaks from more traditional and conventional poetic styles and structures as she explores how women must break away from social conventions.

Diction

Diction is the specific language employed in a poem, including word choice and syntax. The diction of Snapshots is vivid and descriptive, with very specific adjectives and descriptors creating strong images within the poem. For instance, Rich describes the old woman in Section One as having “henna-colored hair” (Line 2) and “skin like a peachbud” (Line 2). Rich also uses visual diction to describe abstract concepts, such as describing nature as a “sprung-lidded, still commodious / steamer-trunk” (Lines 28-29), or how raw talent “glitter[s] in fragments” (Line 94).

The title of the poem indicates the need for such visual and sensory language. Rich attempts to present the reader with snapshots, and thus employs photographic language to do so. Rather than theorize about a woman’s experience, Rich chooses to show, not tell, isolated experiences familiar to most women. Her diction belies a critical, feminist lens. Thus, Rich manages to present her perspective through concise imagery rather than lengthy arguments, and the result is all the more profound.

Figurative Language

Figurative language refers to the use of phrasing that transcends the literal meaning of the words to emphasize an idea or message; Rich’s “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” is abound with figurative language.

Rich uses metaphor, analogy, and personification where she likens abstract concepts to real, physical objects or entities. For instance, Time is imagined to be a man who “in his cups drinks to the fair” (Line 97); Nature is personified as a mother-in-law to all women; and a woman’s social oppression is likened to that of a cage with an unlocked door.

Rich specifically uses extended metaphors on multiple occasions. In Section One, she likens the dimming mind of an old, married woman to “moldering […] wedding-cake” (Line 7). The metaphor is used again when she describes how the woman’s mind is bogged down with “useless experience” (Line 8), using descriptors such as “rich” (Line 8) and “heavy” (Line 8), derived from the decadence of wedding cake. The metaphor is referenced once more in Section Nine, when the speaker urges women to “smash the mold straight off” (Line 104), referring to the dimming of a woman’s mind caused by conventions linked to institutions like marriage. Other extended metaphors employed by Rich include the imagining of a woman as a bird and a helicopter (see: Symbols and Motifs).