The Choosing by Liz Lochhead Anlysis - 1600 Words

‘The Choosing’ by Liz Lochhead is a poem which depicts the importance of the choices one makes in early phases of life. In this specific poem the main theme revolves around how wealth, family, different opinions about life and where a girl stood in the 80s influenced one’s choice; hence the title of the poem is ‘The Choosing’. In the poem the author compares her life to her best friend’s life. In their childhood days they were equal in almost anything they did including their appearance, behaviour at school, level in education and even houses because they were expected to be like that. As life moved on different decisions were made and the two girls had developed totally different characters. As the persona exposes the options that were†¦show more content†¦They lived in the same ‘houses’, another meaning for house is camera and we can associate that meaning with the fact that on the outside everything seemed to be the sam e just like looking at a picture. However, different homes meant that they were brought up and influenced by different people with different notions about life. So linking the two statements, â€Å"same houses, different homes†, it is known that the families of the two girls decided their future, â€Å"where the decisions were made†. This enables the reader to easily link back to the main theme and know that girls in the 80s usually did not have control over their lives. Moving towards stanza four, the author shows how wealth and different opinions about life influence ones choice. This stanza also highlights the fact that in the 80s decisions were made by the most dominant person in the family, a male or it can be known as modern type of patriarchy. The author uses a stereotype to emphasise on how her friend’s father was a typical ‘backward’ thinking man. The author was not sure why her friend had to leave, but had a clue that her father moved to a place where it was more affordable to live. We know that by the line, â€Å"I don’t know exactly why they moved, but any way they went. Something about a three-apartment ---and a cheaper rent†. This line refers back to the main theme as it shows how money influenced the family’s choice.