When first reading "Power" by Adrienne Rich and "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver, I saw no connection of these poems to women's literature. I saw "Wild Geese" is telling the reader to be present, through the line, "Meanwhile the world goes on." I think this line perfectly summarizes the poem. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad, just "let the soft animal of your body love what it loves," and the world will go on uninfluenced by your presence, it says.
"Power," on the other hand, is very focused on the past, looking at the death of Marie Curie. The image of the "perfect a hundred-year-old" medicine bottle that is discovered suggests that it has left an impact on the earth, because a hundred years later, it is still there. In fact, it is even more valuable now than it was then. It's impact is even greater; it has grown in importance, just like Marie Curie. Her work in science is still impactful and very important now despite her death. In spite of Rich's discussion of denial, suffering, and death, the poem is more upbeat than Oliver's in that it suggests our actions matter, while Oliver does not. Need I remind you of her poem's most important line, "Meanwhile the world goes on"? The phrase could easy be followed with "no matter what you do."
"Meanwhile the world goes on" also suggests to the reader that you be aware, be aware of "the sun and the clear pebbles of rain, [of] ...the landscapes... the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers." This awareness of nature and the world around you is deeply connected to being present. However, it is clear that Oliver is suggesting presence still does not make an impact on the world, because the best anyone can do is observe. There are no Marie Curies in "Wild Geese;" there are observers and not doers.
Marie Curie "let the soft animal of [her] ... body love what it loves" and died because of it. "Wild Geese" would say "the world goes on," but "Power" suggests that her love for science left an impact on the scientific world today.
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