Gertrude Stein Tender Buttons
Gertrude Stein Tender Buttons is a book with a collection of experimental poems organized into categories such as objects, food and rooms. It was first published in 1914, and until today, the book continues to puzzle many of its readers. The book defines everyday objects with adjectives that are generally not used with them, and it explores various ways of looking at the object. The ambiguity of the poems in the Tender Buttons book has led to numerous interpretations of the poems. For instance, while some have psychological explanations for the poem, other persons have homosexuality explanations. The inspiration behind the book is the fascination of Stein to do with words what Cubist montage managed to do with images. The essay seeks to analyze the artistic influences, historical circumstances and social and political contexts that impact Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons.
Arguably, as a philosopher or poet, the political record of Gertrude Stein was shadowed by fascists’ connections. Her book Tender Buttons is an intellectual puzzle that many find it challenging to understand.at the centre of the book is Stein’s literary and political association with Fay who was a French scholar that focused on American culture. French conservatives despised modernism and secularism. They were sentimental about the French Monarchy, and they thought that embracing secularism and modernism would undermine the Roman Catholic Church. They were for the idea that if France accepted modernism and secularism to be part of its society, it would destroy its timeless truths of national greatness. What the nation needed at that particular time was proper guidance so that it can be able to reclaim its destiny. Despite Stein being a modernist in her literature, she was still a conservative at heart and supported that the nation remains conservative. Also, her friends believed that the values of France had been degraded by Protestants who had broken off from the Roman Catholic Church, foreigners, Jews and freemasons.
Also, modernism in arts happened between the late 19th and mid 2oth century, and this is the time that World War I was peaking up. Modernism was significantly a reaction to political, technological and social disruptions that were caused by the Second Industrial Revolution which began in the 1850s. The massive variations that occurred in western nations during this time such as the increase of differences and conflicts between the rich and poor economy prompted the development of art in which the poets and philosophers questioned about the society adherence to tradition. There was also the rejection of the global view that modernism enhanced the gradual upgrading of the human condition. Without a doubt, Tender Buttons is a modernist genre. An example is that in her poem titled Shoes, she tells that audience to be conscious of the restructures that are happening in society instead of just embracing everything.
Moreover, Tender Buttons is influenced by the merged of feminism. The book can be viewed as a dynamic for understanding women and a book against male oppression. There are different discourses in the book that demonstrate the evolution from patriarchal traditions to traditions whereby women are more valued and embraced by society. The radial progression towards the comprehension of women the multifaceted identities of women is progress in a conservative society. Also, Stein shows that men used to objectify women, and she considers this a problem in society. She says that it is unacceptable for men to treat women as domestic objects. Further, she using her poems, she demonstrates that their relationship between men and women is not interactive since the objects she uses to compare the relationship are non-living things. Men used to use the tool of limiting communication between men and women so that they can maintain the power they have over women. She argues that this is not humanity. Additionally, Stein uses the sexist phrase that ‘ a woman’s place is home ‘ to show that society expects women to be private and stay in their domestic space. Further, one of the titles of her poems in the object section is, ‘A Carafe, That Is A Bling Glass’, and glass is an object found in domesticity. It also shows that the personification of female objects since glasses is used to serve, receive and they are shaped curvaceously. Further, in her titles, she refers to things like purses, petticoats and dresses, and these are feminine pieces of clothing. By using objects to refer to women in her poems, Stein criticizes the notion that women are objects that should be on display for men to observe. She states that society overlooks women who are not attractive and argues men to change since the objectification is offensive. It is offensive because other persons who aren’t women imply it and that it assumes the passivity of women in society. She acknowledges that in the societal hierarchy, women are seen as lesser beings and that this discriminates then from men as human beings. The discrimination has limited the capacity of women, and yet they can do much more than society accepts.
Furthermore, in the last poem in Tender Button which is titled ‘This is This Dress Aider’ Stein clearly states that she is against the characterization of omen as objects and she calls upon society to be feminists. According to the title, there is a speaker and listener, and the speaker is explaining the word Aider to a person who is seemingly a female listener. The question of objectification of women is posed during the session, and the answer is that it kills women and that the continued dominance of men is mainly dependent on the death of women. Similarly, in the food section of the Tender Button, there is less severe repression of women. It is because men interact more with women. In history, it is correct to say that the object section shows the past of women while the food is the presence of the women. Food is nutritious and vital for the development of persons. However, since there are still masculine and feminine foods, there still exists some discrimination among the two genders. According to Stein, men and women are still unequal in society, and there is little or no education to make them understand that. However, the interaction that has begun is a positive step towards bridging the gap that exists between men women. Likewise, society is changing and becoming more liberal, and men are afraid that they will lose their masculinity if women become liberated. Therefore, they deny women education, and without education, it is challenging for women to fight the oppression that they are still facing. For women to be liberated, they need to be able to act, dialogue and interpret essential issues in society.
Furthermore, Stein argues women to stop being limited by the cultural norms that exist but instead define themselves what they can do. She urges women to think beyond the domestic scope of the house and not to fear that their liberation will threaten the hierarchy of society. The end of male dominance in society is advantageous since it leads to the emergence of female sexuality. In the end, the women are not only beautiful but also hopeful that the disparities that exist between men and women will end with the eradication of systematic oppression. Also, the eradication of systematic oppression is advantageous to both women and men since they will be able to understand each other and guarantee that justice exists in society. Also, when cultural norms no longer limit women, they are able to positively contribute to the development of society, just like their male counterparts.
Also, Stein is inspired by Cubism, and that is why she has been extensively branded as the precursor of literary Cubism. Critics have always accused her of imitating Picasso in Tender Buttons but she has defended herself by describing her association with him as linearly instrumental rather than as interdependent. According to Stein, even before she met Picasso, she had begun to play with words and was obsessed about their value. Thus, when Picasso painted her portrait, and she interacted with him, she was inspired by his Cubism. Stein was fascinated because Cubism is unique. It is anti-descriptive in nature and challenging to categorize. Also, the relationship with Stein and the cubist is much more an exhibition since her literary work is comprised of numerous perspectives and no certain or prevailing voice. It is why Tender Buttons includes various perspectives, a simplification that aids in the clarification of a fresh comprehension of literature, defamiliarization and disintegration of form. For instance, Tender Buttons treats the subject in new contexts. It doesn’t use familiar language to describe everyday objects, and this forces the audience to re-evaluate the reality that they know. Not using familiar language is similar to visual cubists who were able to defamiliarize most relatable portraits and arts because of fresh reflections in either the angles of the artwork or its stark lines. Stein is able to change the way persons view normal household items. For instance, in the object section of the book, she states that ‘sugar is not a vegetable’. The statement changes the central comprehension of private life by criticizing what people had taken for granted, which is human body ad domestic life.
Additionally, Cubism is not only about changing the basic ideas of things, but it is likewise about the aggressive destruction of conservative descriptors. For instance, in Tender Buttons, Stein deconstructs the known relationship between nouns and descriptions since they violate all logic. They are neither conclusive nor cohesive and an example is the statement, ‘A place in no new table.’ The phrase doesn’t have conventional composition and because Stein has been able to defamiliarize the signifier and fragmentation of sentences, she is able to escape the conformist restrictions of language. Further, Cubism inspired Stein to be revolutionary, and that is why she has the ability to avoid the dilemma of a speaker who is biased. Throughout the book, there is no particular narrator and despite the book having themes that are pieced together, the context of the book is unconventional. Also, another characteristic of Cubism seen in Tender Buttons is the understated language used by Stein. She uses clean and vernacular language to show the multifaceted composition of issues. An example is in the poem titled,’ Nothing Elegant’ in which she references her famous rose image. Usually, a rose showed romance and love. However, Stein also uses a rose to show the vulgarity that is used to symbolize a rose and this satire distorts the predictable significance between objects and random signifiers.
Finally, Stein was inspired by Cubism, and that is why se did not use nouns in her poetry. She argues that nouns have lost their power to precisely signify meaning, and this limits the significance of something. Stein’s theory of language has been the foundation of literary Cubism, and it has inspired other artists and philosophers to utilize Cubism. She rejected using a single objective representation and use her poetry to alter the power dynamics of the system that had previously defined literary works. Her deviation from the tradition was an inspiration, and until currently, her literary works are considered of importance. Also, as a poet, she did not only create space for ne language but also new reasoning when it comes to issues such as feminism. Se advocated for the reconstruction of gender roles, independent of persons and challenged the patriarchal language constructs. Lastly, she encourages people to think beyond what they think what their limits are.