*The poem “A Work of Artifice” is written by Marge Piercy. The poem describes a bonsai tree and uses the tree as a metaphor for women, describing a woman who is treated unfairly, including not granting her the freedom of her rights. I will prove my point in this essay by examining the main metaphor, the relationship between the tree and the gardener, the tree symbolizing the woman, and the bound Chinese foot. The bonsai represents a woman and the gardener is a man. The gardener is a man because every day he cuts the branches. In line 2, the bonsai is in a pretty pot. This pot prevents the bonsai tree (the woman) from growing on the mountainside. It also means that the gardener protects the tree. It is ironic that the gardener provided a home for the tree, but line 3 "could have grown eighty feet high" suggests that it was frequently trimmed and molded using wire to give a certain artistic quality and shape the branches and trunk. . The tree is used for commercial purposes. The parallels in the poem allow the tree to become a metaphor for women in society. The bonsai metaphor symbolizes women and their roles in society. In line 7 "carefully pruned", signifying its importance, the idea of ​​protection is also present as the tree could have grown and been "split by lightning", instead it is coddled and cared for. Lines 9-10 “every day while he cuts the branches” suggest that the gardener takes good care of the tree. Bonsai trees are subject to root reduction, repotting, defoliation and grafting. Just like these trees, women could not reach their full potential. Women are seen as valued in the poem. Line 11 "the gardener hums" as one would...... middle of paper ...... controls and limits the women, preventing them from reaching their full potential, therefore the tree (the women ) knows everyone who wants to control, limit or diminish any living creature, whether it is a woman or a tree, must start manipulating and training it from a young age. Women are taught that their roles as wives and mothers are determined by biological factors. They are now told that they should be happy to have a husband to support them and not have to work outside the home. Just as bonsai can grow much larger and live outside the confines of its pot, women can grow and develop differently and do any of the work traditionally reserved for men. It is possible that Piercy does not symbolize women. Regardless, this poem can be taken out of context..