Draft 1
A family tree, a common day representation of the growth and vast ties and lines of our own blood, a symbol of life, love and devotion. In “The Black Walnut Tree” by Mary Oliver she speaks of a literal tree that ties herself to her own family past, with shifting tones of angry pride and pleasure, specificity of places and names, along with the works of comparison of the tree to her own family. With the pain and commotion they hear, but the love and devotion that they show.
Family discussions are often harsh, deep discussions that trifle in the well being of a family, “My mother and I debate” (l. 1). The tone starting neutral as a debate is not a blood lusting fight but a civil discussion. Though further along the words give off an essence of paranoia and stained anguish, “Likely some storm anyway will churn down its dark boughs, smashing the house” (ll. 6-8). The fear twisting to anger as they try to recall of many reasons to sell the tree, “Roots in the cellar drain… leaves are getting heavier” (ll. 11-13). The lines how having a line of logic and a poetic near rhyme rhythm to them.
For logic to flow it must have a rhythm and a work behind it to make sense, the poetic near rhyme rhythm of this poem adding a commitment to how the tree may be causing all their misleading family problems, “Two women trying in a difficult time to be wise” all these words of “trying” and “time” and “wise” adding a sense of distress as with their lives. This technique is repeated all throughout the poem. But riddled with their distress comes harsh choices, and harsh choices bring about guilt and shame to themselves and to the family.
The tree is a representation of the family, “something brighter than money moves in our blood” (ll. 16-17). She explains about her family ties, that their pride and relationship is more above money then so is the tree. “So we talk, but we don’t do anything” (ll. 20-21), when they discuss the mortgage problems and the solutions at hand but their pride they feel within stops them from doing the absurd, of killing off their family, of killing off the tree. This tree is a personal connection to that of their father, “we’d crawl with shame in the emptiness we’d made in our own and our father’s backyard” (ll. 26-28). It would be a sad thing to have the space filled by the void their father left, empty, by cutting down the tree they take away their tie to their father.
With stubborn and prideful disregard they do keep of the tree of the “blue fields of the fresh generous Ohio” (ll. 23-24), in their yard, “so the black walnut tree swings through another year” (ll. 30-31). The tone replacing that of a sigh, the specifies of the tree and the earth's blessing the importance of it before us. This tree is their family and they love it and suffer through the burdens of it. For by the end it goes in a full circle with the burden of the mortgage; starting with neutral “payoff the mortgage” (l. 5) yet ending with the accepting yet painful “whip crack of the mortgage” (ll. 34-35). The whole work of poetry a long continuous thought pattern of tortured thoughts. From neutral to anger to distress to shame to acceptance and encircling on forever.
The tree, the black walnut tree, the one thing keeping the family from living comfortably, yet is the one thing really they anguish. For the tree represents their past family and they love it, though it brings them into trouble.
Score: 6
Revision
Family trees and family sorrows both grow on burdening branches. In The Black Walnut Tree by Mary Oliver she entwines the physicality of monetary value and the mental thriving of family pride and how they both pull her and her family to ends, a tree being the center pinpoint and focus of their joy and sorrow. As through poetic allusions, and entrancing diction she emphasizes the shifts in her and her mother's tones and feelings about the tree and their own family. As the pain and communication they have changes to the love and devotion they show.
Starting with neutral displeasure she arises both the issue and the unwanted solution to both her and her mother’s pain, “We could sell the black walnut tree” (ll. 2-3). As Oliver would “debate” (l. 1) with her mother on their plight to “pay off the mortgage” (l. 5). These simple words of restrained dictions emphasize the distance she tries to keep herself from the situation. Describing it as a civil debate rather than a ferocious fight or a everyday talk. It holds a higher importance but is weighed down by grief that they must keep themselves level in this discussion of selling their tree. The tree, their tree, is upheld to bring them money and ease their pain, but no definitive choice to sell the tree is yet made, why?
The “black walnut tree” (l. 3) still has no tie or sentimental connections to this family, no tied memories that can be interpreted, no love or hate yet expressed for this tree, just the cold monetary value held to it, in order to sell it “to the lumberman” (l. 4). Who is just as ambiguous as the tree to the audience. Though it is not just a tree either, the tree has a specific name to it, a “black walnut” (l. 3), it is not just an ambiguous tree in one's lawn, it has a title and it is known, providing to the audience that this tree, though held so distinctly from the family, is important. Not even to mention that this tree is the title of the entire poem, “The Black Walnut Tree” (l. 0). Though distance can only be held so far when being tamed back from anger and passion, the discussion with her mother and alluding memories quickly follow suit as the poem continues on.
Deadly the tree is, capable of “smashing down the house,” in a “storm (that could) churn down its dark boughs,” (ll.6-8). Two women are faced with the conflicting decision whether or not to slash the The Black Walnut Tree to its roots in order to pay the rent. Referenced to be hard for women to make “wise” decisions this opening conflict sets the tone for the beginning of the poem. Between the lines five and fifteen, a dreary tone illuminates the conflicts the Walnut Tree puts upon these two lonesome women. “The leaves are getting heavier every year, and the fruit harder to gather away,” (ll.13-14). Mary Oliver uses the negatively connoted adverbs, “heavier” and “harder” to elaborate on the distressed tone of the poem.
The debate extends on into the evening as to whether or not the walnut tree should go down. As they get deeper and deeper into their thoughts about the gains and losses they’d face giving up the tree, they start to feel a certain pressure that has nothing to do with monetary value or practicality, “an edge so sharp and quick as a trowel that wants (them) to dig and sow,” (ll. 17-19) It’s written almost as if this pressure is taking them hostage, or something to that extend of hostility. And due to this pressure their debate is still inconclusive. As she sleeps on it, Oliver dreams of her “fathers out of Bohemia.” (l. 22) As this occurs, the contrasting end of the debate introduced in the beginning of the poem is revealed. There is conflict that if the tree were torn down, a piece holding mass amounts of sentimental value would be forever lost, creating a void in the landscape that both her and her mother have been a part of for so many years, and there’d be no overcoming the floods of guilt they’d receive if doing so. They’d “crawl with shame in the emptiness (they’d) made in (their) own and (their) fathers’ backyard,” (ll.27-29).
Oliver and her mother come to the realization that they must choose what they value more: the sentiment of the Walnut tree, or the financial satisfaction they need in order to pay the mortgage. “What my mother and I both know is that we’d crawl with shame in the emptiness we’d made in our father's’ own backyard,” (ll 26-29). The extent to which their ulterior motive preserves the tree still affects Oliver and her mother. In this circumstance, they cannot evade both afflictions of moral guilt and financial struggle. They both assess that their consciences will not allow them to dishonor their fathers or other forefathers by removing the tree, and thus Oliver specifically emphasizes that they have made their decision that “...the black walnut tree swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bound fruit, and, month after month, the whip-and crack of the mortgage,” (ll. 30-35). Oliver symbolizes the burden of the mortgage to a whip crack in order to convey the intensity of their lingering burden. Although they still have their tree, they have not alleviated their debt, Oliver and her mother have acted as martyrs to maintain the tradition of their family.
In family, the internal feelings boil and change their states, from neutral to displeasure, to distress, to pride, to remembrance, ending in reluctant content. As Oliver and her mother return full circle from “mortgage” (l. 5) to tree to “mortgage” (l. 35) their emotions and family ties are caught in the “leaping winds” (l. 32) of fate, held in the bough of “the black walnut tree” (l. 3). The literary element personification occurs throughout, in order to symbolize the tree and its surroundings as a member of the family, instead of a nuisance that is described in the beginning. The tree left to stand “through another year” (l. 31) implying the relationship between the tree and Oliver’s family is stronger than monetary plight.
Reflection
Even though I live and breathe and love poetry I feel the first time I looked at this prompt it just went over my head, which while reading the first draft of my essay I find completely true. I have never done a prompt after a poem so this was a good first time experience with this.
My overall work and analysis was spotty but did demonstrate many points, to which did get translated to the revision just with more clarity. As well as many of my stylistic ways of writing coming back to work with me in the revision. Sounding still like me, just a more awake and focused me. Filled with caffeine and understanding.
Being able to work in a group with other people is very nice, for we each can connect our viewpoints and comfortably share new ones amongst ourselves. Expressing our idea and interpretations to the piece in a much broader sense.
As I come to see and meet with these poetry prompt essays I do hope to being more acquainted them and find it easier to respond to them. Though I do find that the shifts cart is a great way to go about any unknown work or essay. I will continue to use this method for it is simple yet effective.
No comments:
Post a Comment