Gail White "My Personal Recollections of Not Being Asked to the Prom"

In her poem, she explores her high school self and her mother's expectations. The poem relays how she did not feel like she could be pretty and smart, and Gail continues to infer how she chose her mind over her body in the second stanza. She says her mom never had to buy her a dress for the prom and explains that because she chose her wits she came off as "stuffy". This heedlessness for expectations reflects archetypes for a rebellious teenager that broaden the scope of the poem. She tells her own story as an example and adds significance to the story with the last line "But I got married, Mother, all the same." With the direct address to her mother, it adds a sense of attitude or resentment for the expectations. It says that the author did not have to live her life as her mother saw fit, yet she still managed to get married which the audience is to assume was of up most importance to the mother. The poem makes a statement about family dynamics.