The Black Walnut Tree Mary Oliver Analysis

For instance, when Rose Mary left a piano outside, she expressed that “Most pianists never get the chance to play in the great out-of-doors” (33), or, when Jeannette told Rose Mary that she cannot live happily being vagrant, Rose Mary told her, “Why not? Being homeless is an adventure” (161). Therefore, the Joshua tree’s management to stay alive through turbulent climate compares and symbolizes Rose Mary’s optimistic character. When life threw lemons towards the Joshua tree in the form of wind and sand, the Joshua tree made lemonade by creating a mutualistic connection amongst itself and nature by growing sideways. The life of the Joshua tree points out how good always outshines bad which is what made it “one of the most beautiful trees [Rose Mary] had ever seen” (21) due to the way it continued to flourish in spite of the hindrances it has overcome, thus alluding to the hopeful and trusting personality Rose Mary

The author uses the notion of the “whole family attended meetings about Hollydale” again to reiterate not just the importance of the family, but the community itself and its importance in the culture. The community is a part of what the author calls “black love”, which is part, of the poem’s intention. “Black love” meaning that being together, having joyous holidays together, a sense of community and supporting each other is equivalent to wealth.

“Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” is one of Anne Bradstreet’s most effective poems. Part of that effectiveness comes from the poignant tension between her worldly concerns, as represented by her household furnishings and her spiritual aspirations.

Kingsolver’s book is written in journal format, except for her husband and her daughter’s short stories. The seasons change, the foods she talks about change, but her distinct way of writing stays the same. Kingsolver’s use of figurative language adds balance to her changing journal entries. On page 263, paragraph 3 she says, “My loved ones have eaten my successes and failures since my very first rice pudding…” Her use of “successes and failures” rather than specific dishes makes Kingsolver ambiguous and relatable. Those words are abstract which allow each reader to think about their own successes and failures. Everyone succeeds and everyone fails, however we all have loved ones who will support us regardless. Kingsolver employs metonymy, a figurative rhetorical device on page 302 paragraph 2, “Now we could sit back and rest on our basils.” This use of figurative language is used to describe the positive outcome she had from growing her own basil. This is very persuasive because she makes certain aspects of farming very appealing. Although growing your own food can be money, time, and energy consuming for many Americans, having something to show for it is very

I was particularly interested in Camille Dungy’s “Tales from a Black Girl on Fire, or Why I Hate to Walk Outside and See Things Burning” which we read from the book Colors of Nature Culture, Identity, and the Natural World. I thought that our discussion in class of her poem was quite good, and realized it was something I wouldn't mind thinking a little bit more about. As I reread the poem, I found a few sentences that I still didn't quite understand what she meant by. In light of this, I have decided to write on what I believe to be her meaning. I wasn't sure why the fear of walking outside didn’t hit her until she moved to an old plantation sate. Why would it take up until then if she had been hearing her families history her entire life?

The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."

She is explaining a deeper meaning using nature as her based. She states that things can seems perfect, but can change quickly. For example: pain and illness. Sometimes we can bear these problems and have to give in. You don’t know when death will come because it’s uncertain. She describe this reality with the sky becoming saturated as the color of the clouds turn gray. At any moment it can fall and it did. It hit the small leafs, but also affected the old elm tree which can only take a small of amount rain. The ground failed first then the tree, all that was left was

“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of Indian head pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into that tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and this made me

Dark words and phrases are initially sprinkled throughout the poem giving it a sense of despondence. For example, Oliver uses the phrase, “the dark burred/ faintly belching/ bogs” which describes the swamp as dark and grim (6-8). The imagery of the swamp is very dark because it symbolizes the hardships that people may have during their lifetimes. Crossing the swamp is a very difficult task, and Oliver compares it to the challenges of life. Therefore, she states “My bones/ knock together at the pale/ joints” (13-15). This once again demonstrates the difficulty of crossing the swamp as Oliver faces many physical challenges including the pain of her old bones. The author transitions from these dark and negative images to illustrations of hope and growth in the next few lines. For example, she describes “a poor/ dry stick given/ one more chance by the whims/ of swamp water” to take root and grow (28-30). This demonstrates how people may face tremendously difficult obstacles to overcome in their lifetimes similar to a dry stick having difficulty taking root. However, these challenges allow people to attain success. Without struggle, there would be no achievement in life. It is the hardships in life that truly allow people to appreciate success once it is achieved. Oliver concludes the fabulous piece with more uplifting and positive imagery of a

There is a conflict between practicality and sentimentality conveyed through the use of both literal and figurative language by poet Mary Oliver in “The Black Walnut Tree.” There is an alternation from a debate between mother and daughter rationalizing reasons of selling the black walnut tree- that sits in the family’s backyard- in order to pay off their mortgage, to the symbolic viewing and characterization of the tree as a reflection of the family’s history and what value it holds to further generations. Despite the “whip-crack of the mortgage” experienced every month, cutting down the black walnut tree would be a heinous deception on the family’s heritage.

From her childhood, Hillam grew up with the lilac tree blooming around her mother’s birthday. After her father’s death, her family moves into their grandmother’s house for fear of deportation. She sits with her mother and brothers “And I wanted to see the lilac tree, imagining it full of blossoms. I had always liked the fragrance of lilacs…There was no lilac tree, and Papa was not here to sing his songs of love” (36). She associates the lilac tree with the happiness of her old life. She misses her father and wants desperately to get back to the time where they were all together and life was normal.

Personification also contributes to the relationship by making the tree a lively component of the family instead of a passive object in the back yard. A relationship necessitates at least two parties so it is necessary that the tree be a part of the family. At the end of the poem, “the black walnut tree swings into another year” when the family decides to keep it. This shows that the family respects the tree as its own entity and presence. First, this personifies the tree as free and leisurely because swings are usually for play. It also contextualizes the tree as having a

In the poem “ A Bitterness”, Mary Oliver illustrates a case of crippling melancholy. Oliver depicts the speaker reflecting upon the troubled life and death of someone that they knew. The solemn tone of the speaker is maintained throughout the poem to verify their position on the matter upon which they are reflecting. By using consistent repetition and descriptive comparisons, Oliver conveys the general theme that the bitterness accompanying sadness and sorrow can envelop all aspects of life.

In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel “The Bean Trees”, she effectively uses colourful language to yield an image of rural Kentucky to her readers. Her descriptive imagery trigger thoughts, feelings, and mood. Kingsolver’s dialect, tone and Southern style also advance the plot which we see as she opens the story and as it progresses into each chapter.

As she is developing, she is tantalized by the societal norms he represents. She is ready to give up the backwoods (a symbol of herself) for all he (a symbol of society) has to offer. Convinced of that, she sets off to find the secret of the elusive white heron and in order to find the heron, she had to climb to what was literally the top of the world for her, the top of the pine tree. The world from the top was different than the city and it was different from the woods at ground level. From the top her perspective about the world changed, it was vast and awesome, and she understood her place in it more than before. She understood it to mean more than to sacrifice her own self for the gifts this man had to offer that were tantalizing but incapitable with her personality and true self.