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King 1 Jacqueline King English Dickey Period 1 May 19, 2015 Girls Should Bite Back In Stevie Smith’s poem, “Valuable,” Smith explicates an important message to young women in society. Immediately, the reader assumes that the author has just finished reading two newspaper articles containing stories about illegitimate children and a black panther. Throughout the poem, Smith juxtaposes the situations of girls in society and panthers kept in cages. Stevie Smith, in her poem, “Valuable,” employs a sarcastic tone and the repetition of the word “valuable” in order to encourage women to not allow society to determine their value.

Throughout the opening of her poem, Stevie employs a sarcastic tone to criticize society and to hint at her true, veiled message to young women. Upon reading about the several children born out of wedlock, Stevie laments, “Oh girls, girls, / Silly little cheap things, / Why do you not put some value on yourselves” (2-4). Although her words are directed towards dissipated young women, they are not her actual beliefs or advice. In actuality, Smith mocks society by pronouncing in her poem what society might say to girls. Society often refers to promiscuous women in offensive and derogatory terms, such as “silly” and “cheap.” Society views promiscuous girls as senseless, contemptible, and without value. By calling the girls “silly” and “cheap,” Smith employs demeaning words that society might use to describe women, in order to guide women to believe the opposite of what she articulates. Smith’s question to young women – “Why do you not

King 2 put some value on yourselves,” – is one that society might ask. The question implies that society believes girls who sleep with men outside of wedlock do not value or respect themselves and are not seen as valuable by others. Smith uses a sarcastic tenor when she goes on to say, “People should teach people to say No,” (9). The statement refers to how society believes women should be taught to refuse to have sex with men outside of wedlock. While society scorns promiscuous women and insists that women should say “no” to men, Smith merely mocks society with her tone. Smith’s mordant tone implies her true message to girls: to deem themselves valuable, disregarding other’s demands and debasing opinions about their sexual activities.

In the second half of her poem, Smith abandons her former sarcastic tone and advises women to view themselves as valuable through the repetition of the word “valuable.” By the third stanza of the poem, Smith laments, “Oh girls, girls / Silly little valuable things, / You should have said, No, I am valuable” (22-23). Smith ceases her obscured mockery of society and addresses the girls straightforwardly, sincerely calling them “valuable.” Smith encourages the girls to object when society criticizes and depreciates them, telling the girls: “You should have said, No, I am valuable.” She urges girls to speak up against their debasement and alleged inferiority by stating and believing that they are in fact, valuable. Again she says, “Girls, you are valuable,” in Line 28 to emphasizes her point. Smith then expresses how girls fear that they will be lonely if they declare themselves valuable. Smith acknowledges this circumstance, saying, “No, it is not comforting but it is valuable” (33). She claims that although loneliness may not be comfortable, it is more important to believe oneself as “valuable.” Throughout the poem,

King 3 Smith systematically repeats the word “valuable” to encourage women to speak up against society and to believe that they themselves are valuable.

Smith criticizes society’s demeaning view of promiscuous women through her sarcastic tone. After sarcastically speculating why no one has taught the girls to say “no,” in the first stanza, Smith’s tone shifts as she begins to encourage women to view themselves differently than society. Her repetitive use of the word “valuable” emphasizes her message to young women. Smith advises them to object to society and to deem themselves valuable, even though they may end up lonely. She finishes by explicating the difference between comfortable and valuable, and how the latter is more important.

Stevie Smith believes women’s submissiveness to society leads to their own debasement and subordination. Therefore, she aims to make known her message that women do not need validation from other people to feel confident and valuable. When society shames them, Smith encourages women to speak up against society and declare that they are valuable.

King 4 Works Cited Smith, Stevie. “Valuable.” “Ms. Dickey’s British Literature Page – Final Poetry Paper.”

Marymount Haiku. Marymount High School, N.d. Web. 14 May, 2015.