by Amy Gallagher

Created on: July 30, 2008

The Poem of a Victim

There are many ways that someone can be a victim. Many may first think of the victim of violence and/or abuse. However, in "The Victims", Sharon Olds does not use this type of victim that is the subject of this poem. The victims of this poem are children, whose parents divorce, which is something went through. This poem may be her experience.

In this poem, the speaker's parents divorced, when the speaker was young and the speaker is looking back at the time of his or her parents' divorced. The speaker seems to be talking to his or her father and explain what the speaker's mother and speaker went through. The speaker seems to be opposing his or her father and favors the mother. The readers may see some of the reasons why. It may not be clearly stated, but it is somewhat insinuated.
The speaker and the situation described in the poem may be what the poet went through. As a child, Sharon Olds's parents divorced and both parents were two educated people. This poem's speaker is perhaps herself speaking her thoughts.
In the beginning of the poem, from lines 1 to 4, the speaker introduces the poem, the topic, and slightly mentions the speaker's feelings. The speaker is engaged and this aspect reveals that the speaker has gone through this experience. However, the reader may have some confusion about this, in the first four lines, because the speaker says "When Mother divorced you, we were glad" (Line 1) and then says "her kids loved it." (Lines 3-4) These two examples are somewhat contradictory. However, as the reader moves on, the confusion and contradiction ceases.
In the next section of the poem, from lines 4 to 14, the speaker describes what happened to his or her father, after the divorce. The way that it is said isn't too flattering for the father. This section reveals that the speaker doesn't seem too fond of her father. The speaker says that his or her father was fired and that many things were taken away from him, such as his office, and his secretaries.
Then, the speaker says something that his or her mother taught the speaker, in lines 14 to17, which is something that may be assumed from the rest of the poem. However, unlike the prior sections, in these lines, the speaker's hate or dislike for his or her father is more obvious is clearly stated.
Then, there is the last section, from lines 17 to 26. This part of the poem closes the poem. At this point, the speaker appears to compare "the bums in doorways" to his or her father. And because his/her father lost everything, or a lot, the speaker wonders who took everything from these bums,' much like things were taken away from his/her father.
To some extent, the speaker somewhat looks down at her father. The speaker seems to have parents, who are well educated, which shows that she comes from a well off social background. However, a bum' is the opposite. A vagrant comes from an extremely low background. This may show some emotion of superioty on the part of the child.
There is no clear evidence that the speaker is, in fact, Sharon Olds, the poet of "The Victim". However, there are some similarities between the poet and the speaker, which would, at least, suggest that Sharon Olds drew from personal experience to write this poem, described through the eyes of somelse.

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