The poem Dim Lady is a play off or a spoof of Shakespeare's sonnet 130. The poem says exactly what the sonnet says, but in a more modern way. The poem speaks of love but its kind of in a rap style with modern references. While the sonnet speaks in a more romantic tone.
The sonnet is speaking about how the woman he loves is not the the prettiest or best looking or basically in any way special, but he still loves her and wants to be with her. He states how her breath stinks and her hair isn't soft, but in spite of all that he still loves her.
The poem is a spoof of a sonnet but it has its own elements. Throughout the poem there are some lines that rhyme "I don't know any Marilyn Monroes. My ball and chain is plain from head to toe." I think that this makes the poem flow more and easy to read and understand. The references about her body parts in the poem are specific and understandable she says "if her mop were Slinky's dishwater Slinky's would grow on her noggin." This statement basically says how her hair is of wires. In the poem the way her features are described is a good use of imagery. Like "the garlic breeze" of her breath or hair of "dish water Slinky's".
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ReplyDeleteI disagree when you say "The poem says exactly what the sonnet says". While there are many parallels between the two poems in "sonnet 130" shakespeare is comparing his dark lady to absolute ideals in nature/the heavens, whereas in "Dim Lady" the speaker compares his lover to popular consumerist brands. This changes the tone of the speaker from a intimate lover who accepts his mistress's imperfections to either a mocking/insulting tone or an uneducated speaker who believes these mass-produced brands to be ideal. If the latter is to be believed then Mullen's poem is more than a simple parody of "Sonnet 130", it is a critique on 21st century consumerist ideals.
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