Being rebellious can be defined or seen as going against what other people think, or speaking out on a topic that may make other people feel uncomfortable. Williams Carlos Williams's “This Is Just To Say” and Lucille Clifton’s “Homage To My Hips” are both poems that can absolutely be described as "rebellious", and it shows in the lines of their rebellious poems.
Williams's poem can be interpreted in so many different ways, teetering around the team of dysfunctional relationship. The words “Forgive me,” written as a command, shows that the speaker may be regretful, however he is not sorry. The graphic imagery of the plums suggests innapropriate sexual desires. These are all very deep interpretations, but one can also take it in all its literal terms in that the speaker just happened to have eaten his wive's plums. This, as well, shows an untrustworthy relationship with hopes for forgiveness. Maybe the speaker in the poem just ate her plums from the ice box and wanted to write a small apology. Rebellious is written all over this poem as there is not one answer to what this poem is about, and its content can be very sexual which some may define as rebellious.
"Homage To My Hips” uses the metaphor “hips” to represent a woman's characteristics. She has powerful, mighty, magic hips and is proud of her body. She is an independent woman not to enslave to anyone even her husband. The whole idea of the poem is based around independence and loving your body, no matter what others think of you. She stands strong and doesn't let anyone tell her about her own body, or spend time worrying about what other people think of her appearance. This is a great example of rebelling against society and realizing that we all are different and pure beauty is not measured by anyone but yourself.
Both poems touch upon gender dynamics, so perhaps they both rebel against traditional gender identities.
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