Necessities of Life

“Necessities of Life” is written in free verse, meaning that it has no rhyme or regular meter. The irregular line lengths and varied rhythm mimic the cadences of everyday speech. In her poetry, Rich often seeks to use what is considered non-poetic language over the more formal and stylized diction traditionally associated with poetry. In this way, Rich argues that the personal has artistic value.

Rich writes in couplets, or two line stanzas. By using this more structured form, Rich illustrates that her breaks from poetic tradition are purposeful.

The poem’s distinct and personal narrative voice drives the poem’s thematic concerns. The first person point of view allows Rich to express her experiences and emotions. The consistent use of the word “I” allows Rich to blur the speaker’s voice with her own to merge the personal and the artistic, a radical rejection of artistic norms. This results in a poem that, by intentional design, reads as autobiographical.

Rich makes extensive use of comparison. The poem’s use of similes and metaphors can be arranged into three separate groups: Those describing the speaker’s self, those describing her life, and those describing her community.

Initially unable to define herself, the speaker metaphorically is a “thumbtack” (Line 4), a new writer drowning in the work of Wittgenstein, Wollstonecraft, or a mimic acting a part like Jouvet (Lines 16-18).