Favorites (Deconstructionism)

 

By Thomas E. Feeney

          “Now which is your favorite doll?” I asked

                                       Of Little John Marie.

                     “My old rag doll without any arms

                               I love the best,” said she.

           “And which of the kittens that play about

                   Is the one that you love the best?”

             “Oh the poor little thing without any tail

                                    I love above the rest,”

                 “And of all the boys I know at school,

                                    The one that I prefer –

                  Is  you!” she cried and she ran away

                                 Before I could answer her.

       And I looked at the blear-eyed cat she chose

                                  And the doll in faded pink;

          And I ran into the mirror and I looked at me;

                           And I tell you it made me think.

 Analysis:

“Favorites” is written by Thomas E. Feeney. This poem is very comical for it shows and tells the unique preference of Little Jane Mary with the things she loves, including the boy she prefers. The poem starts with a conversation between the boy and Little Jane Maries, and ends with the boy looking at the mirror.

I think this poem is about the imperfections of things around us, including us humans. And these imperfections were perfectly and implicitly show in the poem, specifically in the preferences of Little Jane Marie. It starts with the boy asking the favorite doll of the girl:

“Now which is your favorite doll?” I asked

Of Little John Marie.

“My old rag doll without any arms

I love the best,” said she.

And which of the kittens that play about

Is the one that you love the best?”

“Oh the poor little thing without any tail

I love above the rest,”

In this part of the poem it is clearly seen that Little Jane Marie chooses things which lacks of something physically, like in the first stanza a doll without any arms is the one that Lady Jane Marie loves; and in the second stanza the kitten without a tail is the one she love the rest. So, with her unique preferences the wittiness and comicalness of the story came out.

“And of all the boys I know at school,

The one that I prefer –

Is  you!” she cried and she ran away

This is the funniest part of the poem, choosing the boy she likes. And with the kind of “favorites” the girl has, the boy was left dumbfounded, and also made me as a reader think of what kind of characteristics does the boy possess, which made the girl likes him.

Before I could answer her.

And I looked at the blear-eyed cat she chose

And the doll in faded pink;

And I ran into the mirror and I looked at me;

And I tell you it made me think.

The last part of the poem is the analyzation of the boy of the “likes” of the girl, which made him think of why she likes him. It is like “why does she like me?” “What does I haven’t to make her like me?”.  And for that deconstruction fits the poem, because it leaves a question why does he choice him, which leaves the reader uncertain of the answer.

 Point of View

The poem is in a first-person point of view because the author uses the word “I” which signifies the first-person. And also, the “I” is taking part of the story for he is also the center of the poem. And the “I” is the narrator of the story.

Form

The poem is in a narrative form because it has a story, and it has two persons conversing about their likes.

Style

The poem is in free-verse, because it does not have any distinct rhyming, it is just plainly free from rhyming.

Theme & Motif

The theme of the poem is about no matter how physically imperfect you are, someone or somebody still loves you for who you are, and it is evidently seen in the story, and Little Jane Marie is an example of this people.