Analysis of Adrienne Rich's poem, "Living in Sin" Relentless Daylight Analysis of Adrienne Rich's poem, "Living in Sin"

The message of the poem: Day-to-day reality has a way of chipping away at even the most pleasant nighttime fantasy

The Story of the Poem: Her romantic expectations of “living in sin.” The harsh reality of the day. The return of night and romance, but . . .

Her romantic expectations (1): “A plate of pears, / [and] a piano with a Persian shawl”

Her romantic expectations (2): “A plate of pears, / [and] a piano with a Persian shawl”

Her romantic expectations (3): “A plate of pears, / [and] a piano with a Persian shawl”

The visual images of harsh reality (1): “the scraps / of last night's cheese”

The visual images of harsh reality (2): "a pair of beetle-eyes" peeks out from "among the saucers"

The auditory image of harsh reality (1) "Half heresy, to wish the taps less vocal" Tap Dripping Sound Effect

The auditory image of the harsh reality of the day (2): "at five [when] each separate stair would writhe / under the milkman's tramp"

The Daily Drag he, with a yawn, sounded a dozen notes upon the keyboard declared it out of tune, shrugged at the mirror, rubbed at his beard, [and] went out for cigarettes

The conclusion: chipping away By evening she was back in love again, Though not so wholly but throughout the night She woke sometimes to feel the daylight coming Like a relentless milkman up the stairs