Suji Kwock Kim’s Monologue for an Onion

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Truth comes from feelings and experiences influenced by values and society. Images of wants and needs are created based on perceptions and daily life practices of the things people think should be. In the poem “Monologue for an Onion” by Suji Kwock Kim, the author depicts a reality of truth and perception among the use of tone. By exploring the values of structure, and theme, one analyzes the truths behind the poem and relates the pitiful and mocking tone to important attributes of each character. The contrary characteristics of the onion versus the person are significant elements that make the poem satisfying and believable.

If you look into the title “Monologue for an Onion”, one would suggest that the poem would actually be about a monologue from an onion. It was in fact monologue, but the author chose to have two characters versus one. This is significant because the tone of the poem is based on the characters reactions to each other. Monologues usually incorporate individuals speaking on a serious matter which inevitably allow people to think. It made me wonder who the victim actually was. Both characters could’ve been manipulating each other to get their desired endings. So what was the matter in the poem? The serious matter incorporated in the poem was a longing and searching for truth and the power of relationship. Ironically, the situation is expressed through an onions voice. The irony is in the actual speaking of the onion. This is seen as a ridiculous preposition because onions do not talk. The onion not only has the ability to communicate with the human being addressed, it also has the legitimacy to express words of wisdom. If a poet chose to make an onion talk, others would suggest that the poem involved humor....

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...s that he is “pure onion/ Of outside and in, surface and secret core.” (8-9) stating that there was no secrets to him, which was contrary to the person he was addressing. The onion was real in how he presented itself; very wise and assertive but the person was lost in her imagined truths, seeking an existence not possible. The constant war between the two was a result of the essence of love and the definition each character believed it to be. I presume the onion was trying to articulate his depression. He uttered that if he was causing a great deal of pain to the person then maybe they shouldn’t be together. The person’s definition of love, he could not fulfill and by the end of the poem both were mentally exhausted. The person had taken everything out of the onion and at the same time the person had lost everything that defined her for the sake of finding love.

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