In the poem “Conjoined,” by Judith Minty, Minty uses many different literary devices to talk about her views and opinions about marriage. Throughout the poem Minty uses literary devices like diction, analogies, and metaphors to convey her “hopeless” sort of views towards marriage.
The first stanza of the poem Minty uses a combination of diction and analogies to tell us what she thinks about her marriage and how it turned out. She compares her marriage to what could be a wedding cake. Minty uses words like “deformed” to imply that her marriage is not normal or not right. She also describes the cake, or her marriage, as a “monster”; a very pessimistic way of looking at a marriage. When a marriage should bond two people together and create union, here it is talked of as a monster; definitely not something that creates bondage. In the last line of the first stanza we see why deformity had taken place before and that is because it was, “pressed and grew against the other.” (Minty) When Minty uses the word, “pressed” it gives off the connotation of a claustrophobic atmosphere, in which it would be very uncomfortable. Also, in terms of marriage, when you are married you are supposed to better the other person, but here Minty describes a marriage where the two parts of the marriage “pressed” against each other and ended up “deformed.”
The second stanza of the poem Minty now uses diction and metaphors to give further support to her argument. She starts out by giving one example of a physical thing that is conjoined that didn’t turn out well. She uses the analogy of a two-headed calf fighting to get milk from its mother. This is Minty talking about a troubled marriage where both sides are fighting against each other for what they want. The choice and use of diction in this line gives it a troubled tone as well. It says, “An accident, like the two-headed calf …”(Minty) Starting out the line stating that this two-headed calf is an accident really does give the impression that the calf is not meant to be, almost like the marriage she’s talking about is not meant to be. Past this example Minty talks about a set of Siamese twins saying, “Or like those other freaks, Chang and Eng, twins/ Joined at the chest by skin and muscle, doomed/ To live, even make love, together for sixty years.” (Minty) This example is an analogy just like the one about the calf. Minty is relating a marriage to the troubled situation of Siamese twins that must live together forever joined at the chest. Also, diction is again a very important part of these few lines because Minty uses derogatory terms like “freaks” to say that being a Siamese twin is a terrible thing to be, just as she believes some marriages are. Minty also uses the word “doomed” when she talks about how the twins will have to live together for the rest of their lives because of their condition. Using the words “freaks” and “doomed” here really brings out the pessimistic views that Minty has towards marriage.
In the last stanza, Minty again uses powerful diction and metaphors to show us her views on marriage. In this final stanza Minty returns to the previous analogies and metaphors that she has talked about, the Siamese twins and the onion in the kitchen. Minty opens up the stanza asking if you “can feel the skin that binds us (reference to the Siamese twins)/ Together as we move, heavy in this house?” (Minty) Minty has already used another important and powerful word here that makes us think about this situation in a negative way. The word Minty uses is “heavy” to describe the weight of us, or the marriage, as “we move in this house.” The word heavy in this context, suggests that it is uncomfortable and difficult to maneuver in the marriage. Minty then goes on to say that as a result of cutting the skin that binds the two together, one of the twins will be set free, but the other might die. This is another analogy that shows what Minty thinks about what might happen if you go about a divorce. From that line Minty thinks that in most cases of divorce, both sides do not end up fine. After this we get the last line of the poem where Minty says, “We cannot escape each other.” (Minty) This last line is an overall summary and conclusion of Minty’s final thoughts for her marriage. Minty feels that she cannot escape her marriage and that she is trapped in an uncomfortable relationship with her husband.
