Figurative Language 2- The Joy of Cooking

"I have prepared my sister's tongue." line 1

The first time I read through Elaine Magarrell's, "The Joy of Cooking," I was completely disgusted! But all grotesque details aside, I saw the speaker was indirectly characterizing her siblings.The tone that was implemented was very negative and condescending. The brother and sister seem to have opposite personalities with the same core issue. Neither of them can properly communicate with others. The sister often says too much, and some of what she says causes issue. I determined this from the line, "I have prepared my sister's tongue, scrubbed and skinned it." This implies that the speaker is attempting to change the way her sister speaks. The way in which her tongue is prepared simulates a punishment. It is "trimmed and gristle" and topped with spices. To me, this seems to be torturous like a punishment. The brother on the other hand seems to have no emotion. "[His] heart, which is firm and rather dry," expresses a guarded, emotionless soul. The way it is prepared seems to try to be evoking a reaction. "An apple-onion stuffing" and "sour sauce" are attempts to stimulate the brother's heart. The end of this poem seems to reflect an inevitable lack of change. The speaker sees that no matter how they are prepared, their personalities will never change.