“Exchanging Hats”

 When we discussed this poem in class, I mentioned how Bishop specifically used words that made the hat shenanigans seem taboo and forbidden - words and phrases like "transvestite twist" (line 4), "exhibitionistic" (line 12), and "perversities" (line 20). This had the effect of making the hat exchanges seem much more important and significant than they likely were, as well as exaggerating how unacceptable it probably actually was, in this context. What is interesting is that it assigns a lot more meaning to what would otherwise be just a fun poem about hat swapping.

Bishop says, using one of the phrases i used earlier, that "we share your slight transvestite twist" (line 4). This makes it seem like it is not just about the hats - it seems almost like she is saying that she thinks that everyone wants to know what the other gender is like, not just mess around with hats. In my opinion, the overly intense language she uses supports this. It makes me wonder if Bishop had some form of Gender Thoughts. I know that she was a lesbian, so it is entirely possible that - although I am not saing that she was transgender - she had thoughts or ideas about gender that are not 'standard', and she may or may not have realized that they were unusual.

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