I Never Went to That Movie at 12.45 by Dolly Lemke, Essay Example

The poem is called I never went to that movie at 12:45 by Dolly Lemke. Dolly Lemke was born and brought up in Milwaukee. She moved to Chicago and received a MFA in Poetry from Columbia College. She now works as Editor of Instructional Design at Capital Education. She also co-curates The Dollhouse Reading Series. Lemke is deeply involved in the Milwaukee arts scene. This is where she is coordinating with artists on Gallery Night and coming up with the ideas (Goldklang, 2012).

Dolly Lemke’s poem begins with the situation of one woman who divided between the right and the wrong things she does. Cultural analysis is the explanation of life and societal aspects. The poem falls in the category of poems that highlights on the lives of people in the real life situations. It shows the moral rot of the personal. This shows the weak moral of the young girl in the poem who does things that are contrary to what the society expects. It shows lack of honesty of the girl. The work of her boyfriends is to enable her have sex as much as she desire. She is dishonest to the mother and she keeps the reasons that explain the piercing of y her tongue. The woman also keeps cigarettes and smokes while lying that they don not belong to her. This is not culturally acceptable in the modern society. In the real world centre stage, the poem explains hidden morals and the double standards exercised by people.

On the gender strategy, Dolly Lemke uses a woman to give the story. This is used since they represent the morals that are observed by members in the society. The mother does not fully question the integrity of the daughter. It uses the woman to show the lack of guidance of the father from the family issues. This illustrates the responsibility of raising a child falls on both parents. The absence of the father demonstrates weak social values thus uninvolved fathers.

On the psychological aspect, Dolly Lemke writes that the girl is not okay with being alone in any sense. She is filled with emotions and she is confused. She is afraid of the dark since she the age of six. She wishes that girls like her more. Everything available for her has an exact ratio. The coffee she takes has an exact ratio of cream, sugar and coffee. This means that he is keen on what is happening around her. This has a serious psychological effect on her. There is a limitation to the girl’s reading abilities because she has never read half of the books she owns.

On the historical aspect, the woman is afraid of the darkness from a tender age of six. She gives part of her history. The poem captures the growth of the woman from the time she fears darkness in hr life to the time she buys a dress that lights her way. This illustrates the fears that the woman has about her life and society.

She is nervous that she might be pregnant. The number of times she has called the gynecologist in panic clearly shows this. The social setting in the poem shows that the place lacks a medical insurance policy. The woman does not have an insurance cover for her medical emergencies. There is an inclination to ask for assistance from the people around her area. The doctor asked about the time of her getting married. This makes her nervous if her blood work comes back. This shows that the society is aware of her ways. The line ‘He asked me when I was getting married’ illustrates this situation.

Though the social setting is rich, ‘I got so excited about a sealing wax set and an orange serving spoon at an estate sale’ (Gerstler, and Lehman, 2010) is highly mocking. The woman cannot afford a medical cover but excited about the sealing wax set and the orange serving spoon. This shows the attachment people place on material things. She goes in debt for vintage dresses she buys just to fill her closet. Dolly Lemke shows the weak social values from this woman in this town that might be her native town of Milwaukee. The woman spent ‘$192 at the Antique Mart on Broadway, 1960 Mod Print dress, a 1950’s solid wood beside a table, a sequins party dress’ (Gerstler, and Lehman, 2010) highlights her impulse nature.

She also accounts the woman’s relationships in the poem. This tries to explain why she missed them and how much she will love to do this. She does this on purpose and she loves dong it.

Contextualization of Evidence

The poem bases the story on a small native social setting. The society is small enough to link woman in the poem with it.

The poem deploys the use of mocking words to criticize the society. It serves the purpose of highlighting the social vices that characterize this small community. The reason for this is to serve as an avenue of educating the society on important issues. Dolly Lemke shows a clear line between ‘the countless times I have had to ask for help because I don’t have insurance’ and ‘I will go deeply in debt for vintage dresses that sway lightly in my closet’ (Gerstler, and Lehman, 2010). Thus, the reason aims to inculcate the habit of responsibility.

The themes in the poem are immorality, responsibility, and proper relations amongst people. The society bases its relations on lies and mistrust. The woman’s lies to the mother and to the boyfriends illustrate this situation. Similarly, irresponsibility establishes itself through the lack of planning for medical insurance for the woman.

This clearly flows with the analysis of the thesis and is shows the cultural, historical and psychological strategies employed in the poem. It highlights on the relations between the woman and the mother and explains the history of the woman’s growth.

Explanation of Evidence

The poem plays role in explaining the American culture. The articles that relate to the poem are credible in that they explain the life of the writer. The relevant historical or social contexts that explaining the subject try to link the woman’s experiences to those of the society.

Discussion of subject

Cultural criticism is important in its use to explain and shun social malpractices. This is the main story in the poem. The subject starts with the story of a woman with little remorse on things that she has done. She lacks honesty and this shows the society’s level as no one is providing the guidance needed for the woman.

Exigency

The poem is very important. It shows that the parents and society have a role in inculcating responsibility to its daughters. The poem also explains the role of practicing responsible social values that benefit everyone. Dolly Lemke shows the extremes of extravagance and those of ignorance by mocking the values attached to material things and those attached to life. The poem tries to explain why the society must value life.

Works Cited

Goldklang, H. ‘Breaking Dolly Lemke’ .TCD. Retrieved from http://thirdcoastdigest.com/2008/08/breaking-dolly-lemke/,2008, 2012

Ink Node, ‘Dolly Lemke,’ Retrieved from http://www.inknode.com/people/dollylemke, 2012

Meyer, M. Poetry: An Introduction, New York: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2009.

Gerstler, A and Lehman, D. The Best American Poetry Vol.2010. I never went to that movie at 12:45 by Dolly Lemke, 2010

Nonnumadanda, retrieved from http://coffeeandsnarks.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-never-went-to-that-movie-at-1245-by.html, 2010