Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lynn Emanuel's poem "Who Is She Kidding" offers a spirited, sardonic exploration of identity, personal history, and the audacity of transformation. The poem's voice is lively and direct, employing a conversational tone that both engages and challenges the reader, intertwining humor and critique to examine the life of a woman whose past and present seem incongruously linked.

The opening line, "Who is she kidding? Who is she, anyway, talking as though she knew when, I can tell you, honey, she never even saw an artichoke until she was eighteen," immediately establishes a tone of incredulity and skepticism. The speaker questions the authenticity and reliability of the woman in question, setting up a narrative that scrutinizes the disparity between her origins and her later experiences. The mention of the artichoke serves as a symbol of worldly experience and sophistication that the woman supposedly lacked in her youth.

Emanuel's use of a conversational and intimate "honey" pulls the reader into a gossipy confidence, creating a sense of shared understanding or judgment about the subject. The reference to the woman’s first encounter with an artichoke aligns with her first sexual experience in Italy, symbolizing a dramatic and perhaps romanticized transformation from naivety to worldly experience. The speaker humorously underscores the woman’s initial ignorance and later savvy, noting, "that girl didn't know how to spell artichoke until she was twenty-three."

The poem then criticizes the constraints of traditional literary forms to capture such a life: "But honey, you can't fit a girl like that into the straitjacket of a book of poems." This line is a meta-poetic comment on the limitations of poetry (and perhaps literature broadly) to fully encapsulate complex human experiences, especially those that defy conventional expectations.

The imagery of poetry as an "interstate" suggests the fluid, unbounded journey of the woman’s life, bypassing detailed explanations and the linear narratives expected in conventional storytelling. The poem emphasizes movement and action over reflection or explanation, reflecting perhaps the woman's own approach to life and self-narration.

The metaphor of cooking and its connection to the woman’s background in Ely, Nevada, further explores the theme of authenticity versus transformation. The description of spinach "untinned by Grandma directly onto the plate" contrasts sharply with the sophisticated image of artichokes and Italian beaches, suggesting a raw, unrefined beginning that starkly contrasts with her later experiences.

The poem concludes with a powerful, if cynical, reflection on American identity and commercialism: "Artichoke, my god, this one could sell snow to the Eskimos; this is America, honey, we don't need any damned artichokes." This line serves as both a critique and a celebration of the woman's ability to reinvent and market herself, akin to the bold, entrepreneurial spirit often idolized in American culture. The dismissal of artichokes—a symbol of her transformed, cosmopolitan self—underscores a rejection of pretense or unnecessary sophistication, aligning more closely with the straightforward, pragmatic values implied by her origins.

Overall, "Who Is She Kidding" is a vibrant, witty poem that uses vivid language and imagery to question the nature of identity and the authenticity of self-transformation. Emanuel skillfully weaves together themes of personal history, cultural identity, and the often blurry line between genuine change and superficial adaptation.

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