You bring out a part of me I shield from everything else. You strip me down of all my walls and all the facades I try to by Unknown — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

You bring out a part of me I shield from everything else. You strip me down of all my walls and all the facades I try to keep up with. You do something that no one else can ever do. A job that no one should ever do. For the majority of my life, all you’ve shown me is love and care. Preferential treatment and favoritism. You gave it all to me. Anything I wanted. Then, you took it all away from me. Everything. Including my defenses. Leaving me vulnerable to all your attacks and manipulation. You’ve named me mercy, yet you fail to show me any. I’ve become a monster. You’re the reason why I bite even when I don’t understand what it is that I do to you. I resent you for it, but even you don’t know why. You think I am all understanding and I will always forgive your actions, then when I don’t, I’m the monster. The manipulator. The rebellious one. The queen. You call me spoiled, but all you’ve spoiled me with is the reminder of the distinction and the separation of what you and I are. Father and daughter. Adult and child. That’s all you ever want us to be. Yet, when you want more and I don’t show it, suddenly I am to blame. It’s my fault I don’t fall for your honey-laid victim traps or your false promises. You want a performance, not a family, not a relationship. You want me to obey you like the dog you’ve trained me to be, though I am unyielding and unresponsive of your clicks and treats. I’ll be your dog, but old and stubborn. As the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". So, showcase me to my sister and she’ll side with you. She’ll side with your perspective of the snarling rabid animal you claim I am. Call me Sibyl Vane. Maybe this ending will set me free from your stage.This is who I am in my darkest hours and it’s all I’ve ever learned to be. You bring out a part of me I shield from everything else, in hopes it will never get tainted with your kind love.

Translation (English)

You show a side of me I keep hidden from others. You take away all my defenses and false appearances. You do something no one else can do. A task no one should do. For most of my life, you've shown me love and care. You gave me special treatment and favoritism. You gave me everything I wanted. Then, you took it all away from me. Everything, including my defenses. Leaving me open to your attacks and manipulation. You call me mercy, but you don't show me any. I've become a monster. You're the reason I lash out without knowing why. I resent you for it, but you don't know why. You think I'm understanding and forgiving. When I'm not, I'm the monster. The manipulator, the rebellious one, the queen. You call me spoiled, but you only remind me of our differences. Father and daughter, adult and child. That's all you want us to be. When you want more and I don't show it, I'm to blame. It's my fault I don't fall for your traps or promises. You want a performance, not a family. You want me to obey like a trained dog, but I'm stubborn. As they say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Show me to my sister, she'll agree with you. She'll see me as the rabid animal you claim I am. Call me Sibyl Vane. Maybe this ending will free me from your stage. This is who I am in my darkest times. It's all I've learned to be. You show a side of me I keep hidden from others, hoping it stays untouched by your love.

About the Poet

Unknown (Contemporary)

The poet of this piece is unknown, and it appears to be a contemporary work reflecting personal and relational themes.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Unknown
Background: The poem explores complex familial relationships, particularly the dynamic between a father and daughter. It delves into themes of manipulation, emotional vulnerability, and the struggle for identity and autonomy.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibyl_Vane

Detailed Explanation

This poem is a deeply personal exploration of a strained father-daughter relationship. The speaker expresses feelings of betrayal and manipulation by a father figure who once provided love and care but later withdrew it, leaving the speaker vulnerable. The poem reflects on the emotional turmoil and identity conflict experienced by the speaker, who feels misunderstood and unfairly labeled as rebellious or spoiled. The reference to 'Sibyl Vane' from Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' suggests a tragic, misunderstood character, highlighting the speaker's feelings of being trapped in a role imposed by the father. The poem uses vivid imagery and metaphors, such as being a 'trained dog' and 'old dog new tricks,' to convey the speaker's resistance to conforming to the father's expectations. The poem's free verse form allows for an unrestrained expression of emotions, emphasizing the complexity of familial bonds and the struggle for autonomy and self-identity.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
facades	false fronts	fake appearances	fuh-sahdz
preferential	favoring	showing favoritism	pref-uh-ren-shuhl
manipulation	control	unfair control	muh-nip-yuh-lay-shun
unyielding	stubborn	won't give up	uhn-yeel-ding
rabid	extremely angry	very angry	rab-id
Sibyl Vane	tragic character	character from a story	sib-il vayn
vulnerable	exposed	easily harmed	vul-ner-uh-bul
resent	feel bitter	feel angry about	ri-zent
obedience	following orders	doing what you're told	oh-bee-dee-uhns
favoritism	bias	unfairly liking someone more	fay-vuh-ri-tiz-uhm
rebellious	defiant	not following rules	ri-bel-yuhs
distinction	difference	clear difference	di-stingk-shuhn
performance	act	showing off	per-fawr-muhns
snarling	growling	showing anger with teeth	snahr-ling