Rhetorical Analysis of the Poem "Marriage" by Gregory Corso - Essay Sample

Going through Gregory Corses poem entitled Marriage, one of the interesting and beautiful comic is showcased in the whole story. However, the poems opening questions and the poems title creates little doubt about the main issues. Through Corsos line: O but what about love! I forgot love, the poem raises an argument that marriage can be entirely understood through abstract considerations of love and aspect of cultural images. Being that the author is the main character in the story, he is portrayed to be thinking about this possibility and future of one day getting married.

Notably, Corso is identified to be purposely focusing on cliches and rituals that are surrounding them. One major one was the one that involved having to meet with the parents. In the line, this is expressed by the line Were gaining a son/ were losing a daughter? On the wedding itself, the priest is viewed to be looking at Corso making him start imagining himself as one who is masturbating. This initiated various questions like do you have this woman as the primary wife whom you lawfully married.

The poem opens by Corso rising some crucial questions to himself Should I be good? Should I get married? Through this line, two possible interpretations are suggested. The first interpretation focus on providing two opinions has no possibility of going together, on either getting married or playing the role of being good. Additionally, the second interpretation relates being good as one of the results that leads to one getting married. Through Corsos poem, marriage, It brings out the demonstration of a poet is not unhappy with marriage as a concept. It is expressed on how the Corso is battling between subverting and at the same time conforming to the whole process. Apart from being married his actions shows that the poet is going after some ideal that according to him, has the capability of providing a special form of happiness that cannot be provided by a conventional marriage.

On the other hand, Corso provides a greater focus on the middle class. Demonstrating that every stage that a young couple is facing can provide an illustration to what level the society is ritualizing marriage, and from the subordinate perspective, the bourgeois need marriage to be viewed as one of the respective events in life. Notably, it is identified that during courtship, the couples behavior is supposed to be limited by boundaries that the society is imposing on them. Through the question do you take this woman as your socially acceptable or lawful wedded wife? the significance of being lawful and being and the sense of tradition is socially acceptable.

Comparatively, what is quite dominant in the poem is the poet making references to American life symbols. The faustus hood and velvet suit creates a concept that marriage can be compared to a commodity that is prepackaged that one is capable of buying into; however, it is difficult for one to create. Additionally, marriage is just perceived to be part and parcel of the middle-class community that does currently not exist as an expression of devotion or even love. Hence through the poem, the poet is perceived to be disillusioned with marriage as an institution.

In the poem, Corso makes emphasis that cliches through the poem create a more significant demonstration about such culture, what comes out is that stereotypes and cliches can be used in shaping the actual life of an individual and choices which are available to them. Finally, the poem is greatly male-dominated, with women given minor roles to play in the society.