"Domestic Work, 1937"

In “Domestic Work, 1937” Natasha Trethewey uses diction and a defiant but happy tone to convey the necessity of taking every moment and owning it. In the beginning, the poem is written with very monotonous words. The speaker can see her face in a copper bowl, copper has a very dull sheen to it. However, once the speaker decided to make a change on Sunday and make it hers. The poem then transitions to become bouncy in a sense. “A record spinning on the console, the whole house dancing.” The poem becomes upbeat and the reader can tell that the speaker is finally content with her life now that she owns it. As Meghan Trainor said “Better When I’m Dancin’” with the diction used in the final three lyrics, everything is better because everything is dancing.