¶ … Persimmons," a Light in the Darkness
"Persimmons" is a free verse poem written by Li-Young Lee that explores how persimmons as a symbol, both figurative and as a word, have impacted an unnamed narrator in the poem. The poem is told from a first person perspective and relies heavily on the memories invoked by the fruit. The poem does not follow a linear storyline, but rather jumps around as the narrator recounts different events, following a stream of consciousness type of narrative flow. Through the persimmon, the narrator is able to recount past experiences and explore his personal identity.
The poem begins with the narrator's recollection of how he was first introduced to the word persimmon, a fruit which he was previously familiar with due to his Chinese background. The memory appears to be a negative one as the narrator was punished by his sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Walker, for not knowing the difference between the words persimmon and precision. Due to his inability to distinguish between the words, the narrator was slapped in the back of the head and forced to stand in a corner. This initial stanza introduces the theme of persimmons that will influence other stanzas in the poem.
The second stanza of "Persimmons" provides a detailed description of how precision affects persimmons. The second stanza is filled with descriptors that help to identify when a persimmon is ready to be eaten. The narrator describes ripened persimmons as being "soft and brown-spotted." Persimmons' ripeness can be further tested by sniffing the bottoms as the narrator states that "the sweet one will be fragrant." The narrator proceeds to describe how a persimmon should be eaten. The narrator describes precisely how a persimmon should be eaten; no utensils are necessary, but rather the fruit should be enjoyed slowly and thoroughly. The care with which the narrator approaches eating a persimmon through a detailed ritual that appears to have sexual undertones that are explore in the following stanza. The process of eating a persimmon is simple, yet filled with...
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