Character Commentary:
I love this poem! It really embodies how wild women are seen as too wild but should not apologize for their wild side. I wish more women were to see this poem. While it is short, it really gets down to the point that we wild women are often seen as animal-like to the public, especially with feminist being deemed as a dirty word. As a child, my grandmas who were born in the 1930’s always told me to be more ladylike and that I did not need to talk like in order to be socially appropriate. I understand now that they were just trying to teach me how society once taught them to act, but as a child I did not understand this. Since I did not understand that they were just projecting society’s views on me, I ended up always apologizing for my actions, regardless if I did something wrong or not. While I was not fortunate enough to have reminders like my mom and unapologetically powerful women on social media to keep me from apologizing for being myself, many little girls do not. I think that this poem can serve as a reminder for young girls. Even though it does not have as much of an impact as a influencer or family figure, I think it is a great start for someone in need of a reminder. Poems like this have the ability to positively impact how women view themselves. I think that a reminder like this that urges women to learn to stop apologizing for their wild qualities is amazing. If did not have the strong female figures in my life, I would have like to have had a reminder like this around when I was younger.
Editorial Commentary:
The wild woman above believed that this poem by Nikita Gill has the ability to positively impact young wild women. Although this poem has the ability to attract young wild women that are stuck in a cyclical state of apologizing for their wild side, I do not think that it has the ability to change them into someone who no longer apologizes for going against society’s rules. The wording in this poem seems brash, such as the animalistic comparisons, which many not attract many people. Wording that compares the attitudes of wild women to wolves is not very flattering which may lead to a loss in its overall attraction of wild woman. While some wild women might find this poem moving, others may find it harsh and accusing because they do not see themselves as wolf like or they do not see themselves as being too apologetic.
In history, we have seen women either catering their personalities to the masses or going against the masses. While some women, along with some men, still believe that women should apologize for any animal-like characteristics, many women today agree that women are powerful and should not apologize for their power. Women today are willing to fight back to hold their power, just as suggested by Nikita Gill theme in her poem. The theme of the “Wolf and Woman” is that women, not just wild women, should no longer confine to society’s expectations, nor should they apologize for upsetting anyone by going against these expectations.
Citation:
Gill, Nikita. “Wolf and Woman” Tumblr.com, 2019, sorry-im-an-aries.tumblr.com/post/186830983156.