Analysis Of Persimmons By Li-Young Lee

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Persimmons poem explores the ways of understanding and expressing one’s intuition and knowledge. The poet, Li-Young Lee obviously uses expression of words to present his themes. Judging from his own presupposition, words can be used to mean different things under different context. He is of the view that love embodies words. For this reason, words may bring more confusion and misunderstanding. As an immigrant, the poet presents a novel perception regarding this familiar theme. Because English was his second language, he could readily confuse words in a way native fluent speaker could find weird. His teacher regarded him as stupid, creepy boy and she was constantly punishing him. Therefore, misunderstanding and hatred ensued between the two for lack of love (Xiaojing, 2006). When the teacher, later in the poem, brings a persimmon to be shared in the class, the poet just stare at the classmates as they eat inedible fruit – neither the teacher nor the student was ready to learn or to teach from the other. Contrary, when later in his life, Lee decide to share his childhood language with his Native American wife, he realizes that they understand each other very well. However, he finds it difficult remembering a Chinese word since they share a complex and intricate set of emotional …show more content…

I gave him the persimmons, swelled, heavy as sadness, and sweet as love”. In its interpretative view, the poet says that, even if his father was such old and blind, he could still feel the persimmons. He could feel its sweetness and heaviness. Although, he couldn’t see its color or share, he knew what is was by touch for it is heavy in your palm. The poet’s father was finding joy in painting these persimmons for he had that sentimental attachment. Even if he (his father) was blind, he kept painting them for he loved their fruitful taste for to him, it was a scent of a love’s hair (Engles,

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