Eugene O'Neill has always attracted criticism for his biased portrayal of women characters in his plays. Women have been portrayed solely from the male point of view and O'Neill is not alone in this as this lopsided depiction of women is as old as patriarchy. O'Neill's short poem "Sentimental Stuff, thus becomes an enigmatic expression of the traditional male and emancipated female voice in a typical courtship setting. The poem under consideration, unfolds like a well-crafted drama wherein we witness the frustration of a male poet when his beautifully written poetry fails to pleases his lady love. The male poet cannot think beyond the sensuous charms of his ladylove whereas the woman concerned wants to be appreciated for her wits rather than physical beauty. This paper places this contrast under the wider ambit of feminist criticism, where the male gaze is dissected using the concept of ekphrasis and the latent patriarchy in supposed romantic poems is exposed. The paper also deconstructs the poem to bring out various ways of objectification of women. Historically, men have always controlled the pen and therefore, portrayal of the sexes. Any effort by the 'signified' to break the stereotype is met with disapproval by the 'signifier'. This poem by O'Neill brings to surface the vast gap between perception and reality and the refusal of the traditional mindset to accept it when it comes to male-female equation.