Necessities of Life

“Necessities of Life” is an example of the confessional poetry genre that was especially popular beginning during the late 1950s and early 1960s in America. As a form of Postmodernism, this genre responded to the horrors of the 20th century— the Holocaust, World War II, and the beginnings of the Cold War—by retreating from the world and instead focusing on the personal. Confessional poetry often describes defining moments, personal trauma, and highly emotional experiences; poets discuss taboo topics such as mental illness, sexuality, and suicide, setting these topics within a larger social context. Other prominent poets writing in the genre include Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.

Rich fits the genre well: She uses the first person; her original title, “Thirty-Three,” reflects an autobiographical point of view; and the poem positions her transformation as a rejection of societal expectations. In keeping with the confessional genre, Rich's biography deeply informs the poem. Written in 1964 and published in 1966, this poem reflects the turmoil that Rich was experiencing. Rich’s early poetry mimicked the style and form of poets such as Yeats and Auden. This poem marks a shift towards a more personal and original style—a shift the poem itself describes. The unraveling of her personal life, and especially of her marriage, informs the themes and questions surrounding domesticity in the poem.