The Feminist Struggle Represented in a Brief History of the Horse Lorna Crozier's poem, "A Brief History of the Horse," offers many different interpretations. However, the structure of the poem is divided into three phases: past, present and future. By examining the archetypes within the poem, it can be suggested that the horse represents the feminist struggle, the ongoing battle for women to have an equal place in society. It is important to examine the logopoeia (level of thought) of the poem. The horse archetype suggests the feminist aspect of the poem. To clarify, the horse, as a Jungian archetype, represents motherhood and the magical side of man. What Jung refers to as “the mother in all of us, or intuitiveness, resides in the subconscious” (Cirlot, 151). In Crozier's poetry, the reference to the subconscious is quite evident in the first stanza or phase; the horse grazes in the "pastures of sleep". A grazing horse is also a symbol of freedom and peace (Oderr, 69); however, this freedom can only be achieved in sleep. The maternal figure is also represented by the fact that the soldiers are inside the horse. They are in the belly of the horse: «the soldiers feel the rocking of the belly of the horse as it runs through the meadows at night» (260). This involves the notion of a fetus in the womb. However, the men (soldiers) are unaware of the horse's outside world, believing they are "in a ship's hold that smells of grass and oblivion" (260). Therefore, the idea that the horse is grazing in a pasture of green grass (peace), yet the men (soldiers) are unable to see the truth. They are unaware of the problems the horse actually faces. The soldier…half of the card…also, no matter how much the horse is repressed, it will eventually do what it wants. No matter what label is given to the feminist struggle, it is inevitable that women will have an equal place with men in society. The horse will eventually graze "quietly in the meadow" and a time will come when men and women will be equal. In conclusion, the poem moves from the basic history or repression of the horse to future perspectives. The horse represents the archetype of the mother, the feminist struggle. Therefore, the poem becomes a story of feminist struggle, from the birth of ancient times, through the ignorance of current times and will eventually stop. Without a doubt, women will eventually have an equal place in society. The poet is firmly convinced that women will become equal to men. The feminist movement cannot be suppressed.