Gertrude Stein’s poem “Sacred Emily” follows along with her unique writing style of stream of consciousness. Stein carefully constructs sounds, rhymes, and rhythms to give her work a musical flow. Her aim was to create works that do not focus merely on the word itself, but its function in the poem as a whole. By doing this she created new images that were unique from the old, tired-out images proposed by poets before her. By focusing more on words rather than meaning, Stein thought that identity was lost. Her complicated works of art have been fascinating and confusing readers since they were published.
Stein was a known lesbian, and her poem “Sacred Emily” seems to be a sort of dedication to her lover, Alice. Lines 300-370 of her poem really focus on personal growth and exploration, and the acceptance of personal beliefs, in spite of the common opinion. With lines such as “loveliness extreme” (321) and “sweetest ice-cream,” (322) Stein discusses her giving in to impulses and desires. “Sweeter than peaches and pears and cream” (325) implies that she craves the more wild desires rather than the tamer ones that most people deem socially acceptable and seem to be okay with. “Excessively illegitimate” (335) is suggesting that Gertrude Stein and her lover Alice’s relationship was not legitimate, or rather approved of by the society that they lived in, but she shows that she does not seem to care because she immediately follows the line with “pussy pussy pussy what what” (336). The repetition of the words “pussy” and “what” depict her inner voice reassuring her of her beliefs and choices. Stein asks for “mercy for a dog” (339) because the public probably views her as an animal. However, in order to move away from the preconceived notions that the public might have of her, she talks about a “Door / Do or” (344-345), indicating a portal to step through. By stepping though that portal, Stein breaks through to the other side in order to challenge stereotypes. It is a tough journey and as she mentions, “A blow is delighted;” (370) while she would not mind having a push in the right direction, she does not require one.
The idea of the door as a portal is continued to represent Stein’s own “unique self-authorization” as a woman writer (Jarraway, 44). Through this portal that she must cross, she affirms her position as someone who takes charge of words to create a new art form and a new way to write poetry. Stein takes complete control of language in a completely different way than her predecessors. She creates and important emphasis on the word itself, by “go[ing] from word to word, seeing the shapes of the printed words, hearing the sounds inwardly; noting rhymes, assonance, alliterations” (Ashton, 599). This is important to the line “Page ages page ages page ages” (323). While Stein plays around with the “ages” sound, “the pure sound and shape of syllables can constitute meaning” (Aston, 599). By affirming that pages do age, pages with her poetry, she is affirming that while she is changing language and poetry, her writing will be like the “saxon symbol,” (306) the “symbol of beauty” (307) that has withstood time. Stein, as she mentions, is “able able able” (341) to take control of the patriarchal forms of language and create something that will create “praise or / Worships worships worships” (342-343).
Many of the lines in “Sacred Emily” have the common theme of repetition. Whether the repetition is of the word itself, or its phonetic sounds, Stein is using it to emphasize the meaning of the individual word. An example of this is the line: “The way to say” (360). This four-word line is playing with elements of rhythm and rhyme. When said out loud, it almost feels like an instruction for the reader, as if the line is asking to be said in a particular way. This makes the reader think about the sound and feel of language in order to get a closer understanding of the meaning of the individual words in the sentence. While this idea is used throughout the poem, the repetition in “Suppose misses misses” (349) is especially interesting. Through the repetition of the word “misses”, Stein examines language and words, and their ability to have multiple meanings. The word could be interpreted as the action of missing something or someone, or it could mean a woman. Stein uses repetition to demonstrate the diversity and versatility of language, which she feels is vital to the creation of poetry and new art.
Stein was a known lesbian, and her poem “Sacred Emily” seems to be a sort of dedication to her lover, Alice. Lines 300-370 of her poem really focus on personal growth and exploration, and the acceptance of personal beliefs, in spite of the common opinion. With lines such as “loveliness extreme” (321) and “sweetest ice-cream,” (322) Stein discusses her giving in to impulses and desires. “Sweeter than peaches and pears and cream” (325) implies that she craves the more wild desires rather than the tamer ones that most people deem socially acceptable and seem to be okay with. “Excessively illegitimate” (335) is suggesting that Gertrude Stein and her lover Alice’s relationship was not legitimate, or rather approved of by the society that they lived in, but she shows that she does not seem to care because she immediately follows the line with “pussy pussy pussy what what” (336). The repetition of the words “pussy” and “what” depict her inner voice reassuring her of her beliefs and choices. Stein asks for “mercy for a dog” (339) because the public probably views her as an animal. However, in order to move away from the preconceived notions that the public might have of her, she talks about a “Door / Do or” (344-345), indicating a portal to step through. By stepping though that portal, Stein breaks through to the other side in order to challenge stereotypes. It is a tough journey and as she mentions, “A blow is delighted;” (370) while she would not mind having a push in the right direction, she does not require one.
The idea of the door as a portal is continued to represent Stein’s own “unique self-authorization” as a woman writer (Jarraway, 44). Through this portal that she must cross, she affirms her position as someone who takes charge of words to create a new art form and a new way to write poetry. Stein takes complete control of language in a completely different way than her predecessors. She creates and important emphasis on the word itself, by “go[ing] from word to word, seeing the shapes of the printed words, hearing the sounds inwardly; noting rhymes, assonance, alliterations” (Ashton, 599). This is important to the line “Page ages page ages page ages” (323). While Stein plays around with the “ages” sound, “the pure sound and shape of syllables can constitute meaning” (Aston, 599). By affirming that pages do age, pages with her poetry, she is affirming that while she is changing language and poetry, her writing will be like the “saxon symbol,” (306) the “symbol of beauty” (307) that has withstood time. Stein, as she mentions, is “able able able” (341) to take control of the patriarchal forms of language and create something that will create “praise or / Worships worships worships” (342-343).
Many of the lines in “Sacred Emily” have the common theme of repetition. Whether the repetition is of the word itself, or its phonetic sounds, Stein is using it to emphasize the meaning of the individual word. An example of this is the line: “The way to say” (360). This four-word line is playing with elements of rhythm and rhyme. When said out loud, it almost feels like an instruction for the reader, as if the line is asking to be said in a particular way. This makes the reader think about the sound and feel of language in order to get a closer understanding of the meaning of the individual words in the sentence. While this idea is used throughout the poem, the repetition in “Suppose misses misses” (349) is especially interesting. Through the repetition of the word “misses”, Stein examines language and words, and their ability to have multiple meanings. The word could be interpreted as the action of missing something or someone, or it could mean a woman. Stein uses repetition to demonstrate the diversity and versatility of language, which she feels is vital to the creation of poetry and new art.