Andrea Gibson Performs ‘Trellis’, Reaction Paper Example

Listening to Andrea Gibson read her poem aloud brings many emotions to the listener. It is clear that the subject of the poem hits hard for her and it is likely that she is either writing about a personal experience about rape, the rape of a loved one, or rape in general that so many women suffer from. As Andrea Gibson reads the poem, a few of the words she says stick out because of their harshness; before watching her recite the poem, I wasn’t sure to expect. As such, lines like “every time I fuck with the lights left on” struck me heavily because by doing so the speaker demonstrates that she is willing to say anything in order to get her message across to the readers.

Most of the poem is a story, yet it is told in a way that reflects the thoughts of everyone involved. Firstly, it is clear that it is her thoughts when Andrea describes herself as frightened and scared and then she continues as if having an out of body experience looking at herself when she says “Woman are you a carbon copy of myself?” and “Woman if I knew your name.” These are also the two lines in the poem that make me feel as if Andrea is also talking to women as a whole; for many of the women who have been in a situation where they have been raped., they likely felt the same fear that she describes in her stanzas.

The last few words of the poem describe a raped woman’s fear to tell anyone. Even though it is likely that her father would have stood up for her, she’s too nervous to tell anyone.