The mushrooms of… "Mushrooms" are often described as being total pushovers, who just don't assert themselves. For those that say the mushrooms represent women, this could be seen as a criticism of the female gender. The poet was a woman, so we guess she can get away with it. However, in some ways the poem seems to celebrate the less aggressive way it perceives that women go about things. So maybe this is not a total diss after all…
Questions About Passivity
- Do you think the poem is trying to say that passivity is positive, negative, or a little of both? Why do you think so?
- Which image of passivity in the poem is the most striking to you? Why do you think so?
- In which lines of the poem do the mushrooms seem aggressive? Are there any? Why (you guessed it) do you think so?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
On a whole, the poem criticizes passivity and blames it for the trouble of the people the mushrooms represent. Grow a spine, fungi!
The poem's description of these passive mushrooms lines up with the stereotypical image of a '50s housewife. It's a sad, 'shroomy picture.