works. Free verse and experimental line breaks
give the poet deeper control over the cadence of
language and the importance imparted to spe-
cific words.
Evolving Tone
The tone or emotional state of Fraser’s poem is
anguish that later turns to joy. In the first three
stanzas, the poet, as narrator, remembers her
teenage years, when she tormented herself about
her less-than-perfect legs. She uses exclamation
points and frequently broken lines, which can
read like sobs, hiccups, or shy hesitations. The
latter half of the poem shares how Fraser came
to terms with her disappointment at not having
model-perfect legs. As an adult, the exclamation
points melt away, and the lines break less errati-
cally. Fraser has realized that her legs have always
been there for her, strong and confident. Her
voice becomes more confident, too, and the tone
of the poem turns to joy as Fraser contemplates
the strength in her legs for lovemaking and
childbirth.
Historical Context
Sexual Revolution
The sexual revolution was a sociohistorical
change in attitudes toward sex within the West-
ern world. This revolution, which has no firmly
defined beginning or end, was concentrated in
the 1960s and 1970s, although the ideas emerged
after World War II, possibly in response to the
increased economic and social freedoms that
women experienced at this time. Some argue
that the sexual revolution dates back to the
bohemians of the Victorian era. In truth, radical
social ideas toward sex have not been uncom-
mon throughout human history.
In 1967 in America, counterculture youths
known as hippies converged on a San Francisco
neighborhood to live together and share their
ideas in an event known as the Summer of
Love, though it actually lasted all year. The
Summer of Love brought national attention to
radical beliefs embraced by hippies, such as ‘‘free
love’’ (a term for open sexual relationships),
homosexuality, bisexuality, and celibacy. Hip-
pies believed that sex is a natural act and that
people should not be ashamed of sex or the
human body. They also believed that monog-
amy, a relationship between only two people, is
a restrictive and unnatural approach to physical
intimacy. Sexuality was not the only concern
hippies had, and many embraced celibacy, or
refraining from sex, while they turned their
attention toward spirituality and social aid.
The birth-control pill was also made avail-
able in the 1960s, which had a radical effect on
the sexual liberation of women, who were until
then largely expected to marry before having sex
because of the risk of pregnancy. The oral con-
traceptive Enovid was approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration in 1957 for men-
strual disorders and in 1960 for contraception.
By 1972, various laws were overturned to make
oral contraceptives available to all women
regardless of where they lived or whether or not
they were married.
The sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s
was brought to an abrupt halt in the early 1980s
when AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syn-
drome) was identified by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control. The spread of this fatal virus is
attributed to the exchange of bodily fluids, such
as occurs during unprotected sexual activity.Second-Wave Feminism
Feminism is the promotion of women’s rights
based on the belief that women should be equal
to men economically, socially, and politically.
Feminism has a long history, beginning in the
modern era with the first-wave feminists of
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Sec-
ond-wave feminism emerged around 1963, when
Betty Friedan published her seminal bookThe
Feminine Mystique. This book made public Frie-
dan’s findings that women were not fulfilled in
their roles as mothers and homemakers. This
unspoken unhappiness became widely discussed,
and women began to seek out new approaches to
success in life. Also in 1963, the Presidential
Commission on the Status of Women, chaired
by Eleanor Roosevelt, released a report that
documented pervasive discrimination against
women in the United States. Harvard University
began to merge with its female counterpart, Rad-
cliffe College, in 1963, forming the first coeduca-
tional university in the United States. Many other
universities and colleges followed this pattern
over the next two decades. Some prominent all-
female colleges, such as Mount Holyoke, Smith,
and Bryn Mawr, decided against coeducation to
preserve a focus on quality education for women.Poem in Which My Legs Are Accepted