SUICIDE NOTES JANICE MIRIKITANI

Presented by: Low Loo Ken Dorina Wong

Irene Tiong Sally Sia

Overview The poem, “Suicide Note”, by Janice Mirikitani is about a young Asian-American female college student who commits suicide by jumping out of her dormitory window. This note written in the form of a poem, allows the reader to see what induces an individual to take her own life.

• The poem describes the emotions and true feeling of a young girl student who thinks that suicide is the only way left for her to please her parents and to escape the pressures of student life.

• The reoccurring line in this poem, “not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough”, is emphasize this aspect of her psyche.

• This poem also mention how the girl failed to get high grades in exams. Her parents were more concerned about the grades not their love towards their daughter.

• At the moment, she wishes she were born a son, which would have a better in dealing with the challenges in her life.

• The words “Each disappoinment, ice above my river” indicate that her mood is down after those “perceived” failings. She feels that she will never find success in school, and she is never able to please her parents.

• Therefore, she jumps the conclusion that suicide is the only way she get rid of these problems.

LITERARY DEVICES

Repetition

Example: “not strong enough’’, “not good enough” and “not smart

enough’’

~ To emphasize on how she feels.

MetaphorsExample: “Each failure, a glacier.’’

(line 26) “Each disapproval, a bootprint.”

(line 27) “Each disappointment, ice above my river.” (line 28)

~To help the readers understand better on what she is going through.

SymbolismExample:Compare the girl to “this sparrow ” (line 40)Compare a son to the “pine ”

(line12)

~ To express her thoughts about herself and a son.

Simile Example: “ Fragile as wings” (line 36) “ My tears drop like bitter cloth”

(line 46) ~To make the readers have a greater meaning and understanding.

Tone and mood

Melancholy tone

( sad and depressing )

Example :

‘’ I would swagger through life

muscled and bold and assured,

drawing praises to me

like currents in the bed if wind, virile

with confidence. ‘’

o The girl thinks that she is not able o accept her imperfections

o Cannot deal with life

o Begins to fantasize about what it would be like if she were a son

o Feels that men do not have such problems and are stronger to weather any kind of storm

Her parents expect the unexpected from her

The phrases ‘’ not good enough’’ , ‘’ not smart enough’’ , ‘’not pretty enough’’ which are repeated over and over again

To prove to reader that she was never appreciated .

Themes

Disappointm

ent

Approaches the

subject DEATH

and FAMILY

The phrases “not good enough”, “not smart enough”, “not pretty enough” made her believes that her parents view her as a weak and imperfect daughter in doing anything.

“How many notes written” that they are just like “birdprints in snow”. She can’t change the fact that her parents look down upon her as being failed in attaining high grades in exams.

Family

DeathShe stops struggling and fighting the “air” with her “crippled wings” and she falls “softly into the gutter below” indicates she is committing suicide.

Through a quote from the poem “perhaps when they find me, they will bury my bird bones beneath a sturdy pine and scatter my feathers like unspoken songs or this white and cold and silent breast of the earth” depicts she jumped from her dormitory window.

Disappointment “I apologize for disappointing you” that seen in poem portrays how disappointed when her parents come to know her failure.

“Each failure , a glacier. Each disapproval, a bootprint. Each disappointment, ice above my river.”

THNK YOU