Eve Scolds

Eve Scolds is a poem included in the collection ‘A Human Pattern’, published in 1990 and includes an assemblage of poems based on the author’s personal experience of the days of World War I until 1989. In the poem, Judith Wright conveys the idea of gender stratification and inequality of women to men and her concern for women characterised as submissive in society by the construction of strong biblical allusions, symbolism and changes in tone through the utilisation of Eve’s imaginative account. The notions of a male-dominating society present in the poem show that the message is to raise awareness on the assumptions and expectations of women (which is little) prior to Australia becoming a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1983.
The poet utilises biblical allusions to reinforce her firm belief that women should be regarded in the same light as men, a message which is constructed through the interweaving stories of gender politics the story of Creation. The rhetorical question ‘You, to come first?’ allow the reader to see that men are consumed by the idea that they were created by God before anything else but the character of Eve disputes this by arguing that ‘It was Night, Water, Earth, Love, I’.
The poet’s attitude towards men is constructed through the use of strong language. The
The poet utilises biblical allusions to reinforce her firm belief that women and men should be treated equally and have … the power of voice in society, which is constructed through the interweaving stories of gender politics the story of Creation.
The poet communicates with the reader through the portrayal of Eve
The humour differs from the wit demonstrated by Beatrice and Benedick’s banter as it is delivered by two unintelligent characters, Dogberry and Verges. When Dogberry asks for a confirmation that the Watchmen are all ‘good men’ (Line 3), Verges confidently replies that they were, and if not,...