Power (Adrienne Rich poem) Essay Questions

Why does Adrienne Rich begin the poem by describing the tonics and medicines of old?

Rich opens the poem by describing how, 100 years ago (around 1874), people used to bottle various substances and sell them as medicinal tonics which could both physical and mental ailments. Though once legitimate and sometimes partially effective, they have not passed the test of time, and thus contrast with Curie’s work on radiation and its applications in curing cancer. It is therefore likely that Rich chose to open her poem in this way to paint a stark contrast between bunk science of the 19th century and the more progressive science practiced by Curie. In addition, she may highlight one of the reasons why Curie might have denied or hidden her radiation sickness: as the disease was not understood in her day, it did not have a cure, and could perhaps have been considered more akin to “melancholy” than to a true physical ailment.

Why does Adrienne Rich view Marie Curie as the ultimate symbol of power?

Rich uses Marie Curie to illustrate the theme of power throughout this poem, given Curie’s incredible strength and impressive achievements. Marie Curie perfectly captures the symbiotic give-and-take of power. Due to her scientific explorations, Curie mined the resources of the earth—the radioactive isotopes that made her name. Because these isotopes were radioactive and highly dangerous, their power was transferred to Curie’s body, resulting in her numerous debilitating health defects later in life. Despite the fact that Curie’s body was literally falling apart from the inside out, she refused to release the power that her discoveries bestowed upon her. In this way, there is a transference of power—from the radioactive isotopes to Curie. However, Curie’s denial of the vulnerabilities that led to that power demonstrates a failure to see that power often comes from wounds. There is no power without vulnerability.

Explain why Adrienne Rich may have chosen to describe Marie Curie’s numerous physical ailments in such unsettling detail.

Rich makes a point to explain how Marie Curie’s body started to break down during the latter years of her life. Rich describes the cracked and pustulent tips of her fingers and the cataracts in her eyes. In doing so, Rich is painting a descriptive physical feature of Curie’s physical frailty and struggle in later life. Despite her physical weaknesses, however, Rich argues that Curie was full of power. Given that Curie denied the extent of her injuries up until her death, it can be concluded that she was not simply ignorant of radiation’s effect, but actively denying it. Rich included these descriptions to show that women in Curie’s age were hesitant to ever admit weakness—even though women’s power in fact comes from their perceived weakness and the wounds they have collectively suffered.