Lisa's Ritual a Poetry Essay
Professor Mark Fink
English 1020
September 8, 2009
I. The poem that I chose to write about for my assignment is “Lisa’s Ritual, Age 10"
by Grace Carolyn Bridges. The reason I chose this poem is because as soon as I read it, I
immediately felt drawn to this poem, something that seems important when connecting
with a piece of work. The poem appears to focus on a young girl named Lisa, and her
experience with incest between herself & her father. It touches not only on that
experience, but how it makes this little girl feel, and what she does after each time this
happens to her. Throughout my paper, I hope to analyze the poem, and ultimately gain a
better understanding as to what exactly the author is trying to convey through Lisa’s
experience.
II. The first stanza introduces the reader to Lisa. It explains what has happened to
her, and exactly what she does to help rid herself of that experience, in a manner of
speaking. This stanza felt the most significant, because it help set the tone for the poem,
allowing the reader a glimpse into what this young girl is going through. As the reader,
you get a sense that this is not the first time she has gone through this, and almost seems
numb to what has been happening to her. “She doesn’t cry.” (Line 8) stands out here–it
jumps at the reader. It appears to emphasize the point that she is beyond crying, having
gone through this before. It is not merely a sentence in the poem, but a statement, or
declaration. The use of a period at the end of this line only further proves that this is such the case. Also, the girl in the poem isn’t speaking directly to the reader.
Notice that “she” is used when describing certain thoughts like “She runs a hot bath...”
(4), “She doesn’t cry.” (8), “She brushes her teeth...” (10). . The way this poem is phrased
indicates that there is only one person telling a tale here. The reason I feel this is simply
because of how personal the poem is–only
English 1020
September 8, 2009
I. The poem that I chose to write about for my assignment is “Lisa’s Ritual, Age 10"
by Grace Carolyn Bridges. The reason I chose this poem is because as soon as I read it, I
immediately felt drawn to this poem, something that seems important when connecting
with a piece of work. The poem appears to focus on a young girl named Lisa, and her
experience with incest between herself & her father. It touches not only on that
experience, but how it makes this little girl feel, and what she does after each time this
happens to her. Throughout my paper, I hope to analyze the poem, and ultimately gain a
better understanding as to what exactly the author is trying to convey through Lisa’s
experience.
II. The first stanza introduces the reader to Lisa. It explains what has happened to
her, and exactly what she does to help rid herself of that experience, in a manner of
speaking. This stanza felt the most significant, because it help set the tone for the poem,
allowing the reader a glimpse into what this young girl is going through. As the reader,
you get a sense that this is not the first time she has gone through this, and almost seems
numb to what has been happening to her. “She doesn’t cry.” (Line 8) stands out here–it
jumps at the reader. It appears to emphasize the point that she is beyond crying, having
gone through this before. It is not merely a sentence in the poem, but a statement, or
declaration. The use of a period at the end of this line only further proves that this is such the case. Also, the girl in the poem isn’t speaking directly to the reader.
Notice that “she” is used when describing certain thoughts like “She runs a hot bath...”
(4), “She doesn’t cry.” (8), “She brushes her teeth...” (10). . The way this poem is phrased
indicates that there is only one person telling a tale here. The reason I feel this is simply
because of how personal the poem is–only