To Be Of Use

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1973

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Persevering Against Difficulties

One of the key themes of “To Be of Use” is the idea that it is necessary to persevere during difficulties to have a life worth living. This is both outwardly stated and heavily implied by imagery utilized within the text.

The speaker likes those people who “jump into work” (Line 2) and show enthusiasm for their pursuit. Even more, they admire those who “swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight” (Line 4). This image suggests going the distance in a certain fashion. The swimmer swims until they are competent, their effort nearly hidden from view, long lasting and confident.

This idea of extended effort is also shown by the comparison to the ox with “massive patience” (Line 9). Patience is a quality naturally associated with waiting, the opposite of instant gratification. Even though there is “pull[ing]” (Line 9) and “strain[ing]” (Line 10), oxlike workers complete their tasks “again and again” (Line 11). They do what “has to be done” (Line 11) and do not quit, even when it is not easy.

This quality of determination is also in the workers in the field who “pass bags along” (Line 14) as they stand “in a row” (Line 14), a task that requires long-term repetitive action. They understand the necessity of such motions, which require continuity, when the “food must come in or the fire be put out” (Line 17). For them “to move things forward” (Line 10), they, too, must do what’s necessary “again and again” (Line 11). Unlike “field deserters” (Line 15), they do not abandon their posts, nor do they abdicate their work like “parlor generals” (Line 15). This quality of not giving up is essential to having a life that is “to be of use.”

Images of perseverance end the poem, as the “Greek amphoras” (Line 22) and “Hopi vases” (Line 23) show they have stood the test of time: “[I]n museums” (Line 23), their craftsmanship allows their survival. The speaker connects them to their original purpose of carrying “wine or oil” (Line 22), “corn” (Line 23), or “water” (Line 23). In the same way, those who carry “work that is real” (Line 26) make multiple trips, some of which are long and arduous. However, the speaker insists, the result is this: What needs “to be done” (Line 11) to “move things forward” (Line 10) is defined into a “shape which satisfies” (Line 21).

How to Love What You Do

At the end of “To Be of Use,” the speaker suggests that to love one’s work—which can translate into spiritual, emotional, or physical effort—is necessary for each person’s satisfaction in life. Images within the poem of different types of work give the reader guidance as to what is “worth doing well” (Line 20). The effort should either be subtle and joyous, worth a result despite challenge, or built upon helping community. These ways of working make the person feel useful and provide a source of pride.

The first suggestion is to find an occupation that garners enthusiasm. If one is excited about one’s task and enjoys the work, the surety it engenders will seem natural. Like “seals” (Line 6), those whose confident “strokes” (Line 4) are “almost out of sight” (Line 4) are perceived as buoyant. They love what they do so much that their job seems the right fit and they are “natives of that element” (Line 5).

Another way to engage with work is to dedicate oneself to “mov[ing] things forward” (Line 10). There is no delusion that work of this type will not take effort. The job is “heavy” (Line 8), requiring “massive patience” (Line 9) and often “strain” (Line 10), yet this is the type of the work that pays off by initiating change, by “do[ing] what must be done” (Line 11). This is a different type of work from that of the easy “swim[ming] off” (Line 4) previously mentioned, but that does not mean it is not equally compelling.

Working for the benefit of others is another worthwhile endeavor. These workers “submerge / into the task” (Lines 12-13) differently than those who love the environment or those who love a challenge. The work benefits the community of which the worker is a part so that the community can succeed as a whole. This allows the “food [to] come in” (Line 17) or the “fire [to] be put out” (Line 17). It serves the greater good of the community.

Love of the assignment, accepting challenges for the result, and enjoying the “common rhythm” (Line 16) of a communal effort are all ways one can find work that is “worth doing well” (Line 20). This—the speaker notes—is “work that is real” (Line 26) and valuable.

The Poem as Pitcher

In the Introduction to Circles on the Water (1982), Piercy notes she “rarely speaks through a mask or persona” (xi), instead she “imagine[s] that [she] speak[s] for a constituency” (xi). Therefore, she “desire[s] that [her] poems work for others” (xi), conveying the human experience. She goes on to remark that she hopes the reader “will take [her] poems into their lives and say them to each other and put them up on the bathroom wall” (xii). In other words, she wants the poem to be an artifact, an object of cultural or historical interest—but also, one that is functional. Like vessels put into a museum, shown at the end of “To Be of Use,” the poem can be displayed as an object. However, Piercy reminds us that its function is like that of the “pitcher [that] cries for water to carry” (Line 25).

Ancient vessels “are put in museums” (Line 23), Piercy writes, but the reader should not forget “they were made to be used” (Line 24). A poem, too, seems to be a static object, written, finalized, and solidified on paper. However, each time a poem is read, it renews its usefulness. It gains a new life or purpose. For example, someone who might work hard in an intense job might find comfort in the recognition of those “who strain in the mud and muck to move things forward” (Line 10) in “To Be of Use.” The poem may give recognition, sustenance, or relief to someone, much like “wine or oil” (Line 22) were used as prizes by the Greeks, conveyed by the “amphoras” (Line 22).

Piercy’s wording validates and elevates those who try to find a “thing worth doing well” (Line 20). She “love[s]” (Lines 1, 8) these people and “want[s] to be with them” (Line 12). The poem becomes a way to address them, a love letter to commend them. As with all love letters, the missive is meant to be read again and again. Judging from Piercy’s remarks to Charles Coe—appearing 32 years after her Introduction to Circles on the Water—the poem’s content remains popular. Piercy suggests this is because it “praises ordinary work. Work of all kinds. ‘To Be of Use’ has been used in memorials to activists, radical lawyers, labor unionists and so on. People put it up on walls and refrigerators” (See: Further Reading & Resources).

In 1982, Piercy said she hoped to create “art [that] gives dignity” (xii) to human experience. Her remarks to Coe in 2014 make it clear that, with poetry, she found “work that [was] real” (Line 26), as described in the poem. Showing the appreciation she had for the workers’ experiences and lauding their function in clear, precise language, Piercy captured what usefulness means for many people. Therefore, the function of “To Be of Use” is to succeed as a container, holding a message regarding love and worth that serves the reader.