"Marks" by Linda Pastan

TONE: Sarcastic, slightly bitter
One is able to see with her establishing a grading system for how her family regards her, Pastan creates a sarcastic way of addressing them by deciding to "drop out" of their family.

WORD CHOICE: "incomplete for my ironing", "... if/ I put my mind to it/ I could improve", "Wait 'til they learn/ I'm dropping out"
By choosing to use grading words, such as actual letter grades, "incomplete" and "Pass/Fail", Paston establishes and reinforces the title and the idea of her family judging her capabilities. The line "...if/ I put my mind to it/ I could improve" is one that is heard by many underachieving students demonstrating potential, likening her to a slacker of sorts. By ending the poem with "Wait 'til they learn/ I'm dropping out," the reader is able to see the slight bitterness that she harbors as well as how she herself regards their grades as a joke.

IMAGERY: homey environment ("last night's supper", "incomplete for my ironing"), school setting ("A for last night's supper", "I could improve", "My daughter believes/ in Pass/Fail")
Through notes that her husband gave her, such as "an A/ for last night's supper" and "an incomplete for my ironing", as well as including comments that her children gave her, Paston creates an intimate and candid family and home environment. However, by using the various grading systems that one may encounter in school, she also creates the feeling of aversion that school creates.

STYLE: enjambed lines
The multiple of enjambed lines creates a harshness when reading, showing someone in almost disbelief and flippant with the way her family regards her. The awkward breaks demonstrate her disregard for convention and for her family's thoughts.

THEME: Appreciate those who are in your life not only for what they are able to tangibly provide.
One can see through the letter grades given by her husband on menial tasks, her son's sweeping generalization, and her daughter's impersonal "pass", Paston feels overly evaluated and under appreciated by her family. By using tone, word choice, and style, she crafts a poem in which in the end she declares that their notes are irrelevant and she is "dropping out."

Being evaluated has shaped my being. Ever since starting school, my parents would compare me to others with the stats I provided, whether it be a grade in math or a level of achievement in music. These hard and fast numbers led me care about the grade I got rather than the experience I gained or the lessons I learned. But over time I've realized, like Paston, that these marks don't matter as much as I make them out to be.