Table of Contents
What is the theme of the poem Bistro Styx?
Rita Dove in the poem “The Bistro Styx” uses Greek mythology of Demeter and Persephone in order to depict the troubled relationship between mother and daughter. -Poem is a recasting of the story of Demeter (mother) and Persephone (daughter). -Hades kidnaps Persephone from her home and brings her to the underworld.
What is the tone of Bistro Styx?
The tone of this piece is uneasy – the mother is hesitant and uncomfortable around her daughter, while the daughter feels much to highly of herself and does not treat her mother with the respect she deserves.
What does Styx mean in Greek?
shuddering
Styx, in Greek mythology, one of the rivers of the underworld. The word styx literally means “shuddering” and expresses loathing of death. In Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the gods swear by the water of the Styx as their most binding oath. There is a legend that Alexander the Great was poisoned by Styx water.
What happens if you touch the river of Styx?
Oaths made by this river brings something ‘worse than death’ to the oath bearer if not fulfilled. If anyone bathes in the Styx and survives, that person will bear the Curse of Achilles and become invulnerable to most physical attacks, excluding a small spot on their body that if struck will instantly kill them.
The Bistro Styx by Rita Dove: Summary and Critical Analysis Rita Dove in the poem The Bistro Styx uses Greek mythology of Demeter and Persephone in order to depict the troubled relationship between mother and daughter.
Why is the Bistro Styx by Rita Dove ironical?
This reference becomes ironical because of the transitoriness of love of tourist and Parisian. The central theme of the poetry is the act of eating and drinking at the restaurant. The daughter likes drinking and eating than the conversation with the mother.
Who is Persephone in the Bistro Styx poem?
To mix-up both myth and the context of the poem, the poem is about modern Demeter (the mother) who in her search discovers modern Persephone (the daughter) in the underworld of modern Paris abducted by the Hades of modern civilization. The poem begins with a narration of the mother who is waiting for her daughter.
Where does the river Styx Come from in the poem?
The River Styx is referenced to note the daughters crossover into what the mother considers darkness. The bright setting of the bistro they are in is the only glimmer of light in the poem and offsets what would otherwise be a dark poem.