Analyzing Poem At first the only aspect that really stood out to me in the poem, I Shall Paint My Nails Red, was the acts of a woman talking about feminine things that woman like to do to change up their appearance. After thoroughly analyzing this poem I came to the realization that it was much deeper than that. Every line of this poem is a distinct statement filled with self-expression and confidence. I Shall Paint My Nails Red by Carole Satyamurti, takes the simple act of painting your nails and shows the meaning behind it. This poem hits home to me because painting my nails is something I enjoy doing with my grandmother. My grandmother has never gone a day without having her nails painted, and after reading this poem I understand why. To me, womanism is the main theme that Satyamurti is trying to portray in this poem and it is being shown through beauty, strength, and passion.

Beauty can represent a numerous amount of things, and in this poem Satyamurti does a remarkable job at capturing the true meaning of beauty. “Because I am proud of my hands” (Satyamurti 2), after I broke this poem down piece by piece, the imagery in this line caught my eye. I relate the pride she takes in her hands after painting them to my grandmother and how I never see her go a day without having her nails painted. Although painting your nails is a simple thing, it makes you feel good about yourself. My grandmother walks with confidence every day and though it may not be just because of her nails, I am certain that it does play some sort of factor in her demeanor. Another line that resembles beauty is “Because it is quicker than dying my hair” (Satyamurti 8). At first you get the impression that this woman may be so lazy she does not want to take the time out of her day to dye her hair. While this may be true, when you really analyze and spend time on just this line, you get a deeper meaning. What I took from this line was the fact that she wanted to do something to her body to make herself feel pretty, even if that meant painting her nails rather than something so drastic as to dying her hair. She wanted something that was simple and easy, yet stood out. She wanted to make a statement but at the same time not change who she is. When Satyamurti says “Because a bit of color is a public service” the woman realizes that people actually look at her when she does something extra to herself. This line makes me think of a woman walking around in public, flashing her newly painted nails, with a smile on her face. She seems to believe that anywhere she were to go with these red nails, the world would see them and appreciate them. With this idea, I feel that Satymurti is trying to portray the fact that women are constantly thinking of other’s needs. As mothers, wives, lovers, women are always taking on the role of pleasing others.

With beauty in mind, strength goes hand and hand, for example in line four Satyamurti writes, “Because I will look like a survivor.” This line to me indicates that this woman has suffered something horrific, for example, cancer. When someone has cancer it usually takes something away from them, whether it is physical or mental. I believe that whatever the woman has suffered through, it has stolen something that took away her identity as woman.When Satyamurti says “Because it will remind me that I am a woman” I instantly think that she is painting her nails so that she can feel feminine. Whatever she was a survivor of took something precious from her, for example her hair or a breast, and she substitutes painting her nails for that loss.It reminds her every time she looks at her nails that she has something to be thankful for, her life, and that makes her stronger day in and day out. “Because my lover will be surprised” (Satyamurti 7) when I read this line I automatically think that this woman is independent. I think this because a lover is not a husband, therefore she does not depend on him in any way. Another line that supports that the woman is independent is in the sixth line when Satyamurti says “Because my daughter will say ugh”. I interpret that her daughter does not like when she paints her nails, because she associates that with going out and seeing her lover. To me the daughter seems jealous of the lover because whoever that may be gets to spend more time with her than she gets to. While strength and beauty are similar, passion takes on a whole different role in womanism. When I think of a beautiful, strong, independent woman painting her nails, the color red comes to mind. The moment I read the title of this poem I asked myself out of all colors, why red? Then when I contemplated about it, it came to me that red symbolizes all sorts of things like passion, integrity, elegance, wealth, and most of all, beauty. Therefore she paints here nails red because she wants all of those characteristics to represent her. In line five when Satyamurti says “Because I can admire them in traffic jams” goes back to how she wants all of these characteristics to come to reality. When she paints her nails red she feels like they do, and every time that she admires them, it reminds her again of the beautiful confident woman that she is.

All things considered the simple act of painting your nails can do wonders for a person and their self-steam. I never in a million years would think that by painting my nails I would represent beauty, strength, and passion. I used to think people just painted their nails because they wanted a dash of color to match whatever they were wearing that day, but after reading this poem that is not the case anymore. Every time I see someone with painted nails I wonder what they have gone through in life. To me painted nails are not just an accessory anymore. It tells a story. The nails behind that color tells a deep, passionate story of hardship that people have gone through in their lives.