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…showed last 75 words of 738 total…her outer life. In this poem Rich portrays what can happen to an individual who accepts the fate prescribed by customs. If one considers that this could have been written during a time of social unrest and change, the overall message of this poem is that men suppress women. However, this poem demonstrates that even in their suppression women can still create worthwhile things and imagine what they can do if they had their freedom.