Subjects:
Examine the techniques used by one poet to convey the significance of an experience or an event, which gave rise to a poem, or sequence of poems.
The Almond Tree by Jon Stallworthy describes through the eyes of an expectant father’s supreme emotional joy at the prospect of the birth of this child. The excitement and joy turn to despair and hopelessness when he is told that his son is a Mongol.
The poem begins on an optimistic tone and the poet conveys this prospect by giving life to objects, which are normally dull and go, unnoticed;
Trees of black iron and lights as green as peppermints
The poet uses a fairytale image to create a lack of realism in order to re-enforce the optimistic tone
As if I were the lucky prince in an enchanted wood
However the poet uses this technique further on in the poem to convey his devastation when realising the he will not be able to communicate with his son because of his disability;
Never to come ashore into my kingdom speaking my language
. . .
Your son is a Mongol
Is detached blunt and straight to the point and can be seen as monosyllabic. The following words end in assonance, which gives the poem a slower pace. The poet also uses personification as he describes the symbolic almond tree waving him.
Bibliography
The Almond Tree By Jon Stallworthy
. The manner in which he is told that his son is a Mongol is straight to the point and very clinical. When the almond tree is waving the pet up stairs his emotions lack reality. Jon Stallworthy uses a clever use of personification as another technique in order to portray his hopes
The tower held up its hand the college bells shook their heads in blessing
This once again stresses his anticipation and excitement at the prospect of becoming a father. In order to relate the poet’s lack of acceptance Jon Stallworthy describes the man as having an outer body experience.
In order to create tension as the poets excitement increases at the birth of his son the poet uses imagery and that becomes physiological as the poet recreates the process of birth by using words like; spinal, bone white and blood tide.
This also introduces the image of the sea, which is continued throughout the poem
Lashed down ship shape…my son sailed from me
Are both in contrast to the previous mention of ships as once again this technique portrays the poet’s two very different emotions.
As clean as a bullet
Describes how this information destroys his life.
For the tree was waving me waving me upstairs
As before this is in direct contrast to further on in the poem when the almond tree is once again waving at him;
And the almond waving me down
This contrast I believe conveys the significance between the two emotions that the poet is facing. From this technique I think that the poet can now see himself blossom in the sense of understanding. opinion this creates a good contrast to that of his image at the beginning of the poem. The poet attempts to capture the rhythm of labour with
Walls shuddering …shuddering womb…wave after wave wave after wave beat on the bone coast.
Essay's Topics
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