Another literary element that jumped out to me in this poem was the divine imagery. I mean, it was practically screaming at me! Especially in the 7th stanza, Renee pulls out a lot of references to Christianity. She introduces this thread of symbolism earlier in the poem when she is expressing her self-proclaimed "THICK-ness". She says, "Not to be sarcastic but I died / Was resurrected last week / So as a poet, I am past sick" (stanza 5). This is the first hint that she is going in a direction that includes very direct connections to the Christian religion. I believe that these connections between her earthly and voluptuous body juxtaposed with imagery that is connotative with innocence and purity is a way for Renee to empower her sexuality even more. By referring to her body as heavenly and directly comparing herself to Jesus Christ, she in turn gives herself more power.
Renee speaks of how God has blessed her with her curvaceous and thick body with wide hips because He "knew / I would need to birth enigmatic knowledge like / How she can be both Father and Son at the same time / Seated at his own right hand side" (stanza 7). Again, this is an example of how she believes that her body is divine and should be revered by fearing admirers. It should also be noted that she is not giving birth to other people, she is giving birth to knowledge and understanding about herself - still bringing the attention back to her. This is followed by her claim that she is basically Jesus and everyone should fear her power, as well as her sexuality.
The poet also includes lines like, "I am THICK / Like reading the Bible from beginning to end" (stanza 8). Like the Bible, she is admired and worshiped by others. She is overwhelming and intimidating to others. This empowers her even more. Renee relishes in the spotlight, using her body and sexual power over others who are easily threatened by it's curves, as well as her sharp wit and intelligence. By comparing herself to the Bible and to Jesus, Renee makes herself more powerful and self confident.
I think you did a great job analyzing this poem. I like that you focused on the divine imagery. I noticed that as a relevant theme to the poem when I first read it, myself. Some instances seem more obvious than others, but you picked out a few that were not-so-obvious. Through understanding all of seperate instances, it allows the reader to better comprehend the overall poem.
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