Almond Tree By Stallworthy Essay, Research Paper

Poetry is often written as a result of reflecting on an intense emotional

experience or a significant event. Examine the techniques used by one poet to

convey the significance of an experience or an event, which gave rise to a poem,

or sequence of poems. The Almond Tree by Jon Stallworthy describes through the

eyes of an expectant father?s supreme emotional joy at the prospect of the

birth of this child. The excitement and joy turn to despair and hopelessness

when he is told that his son is a Mongol. The poem begins on an optimistic tone

and the poet conveys this prospect by giving life to objects, which are normally

dull and go, unnoticed; Trees of black iron and lights as green as peppermints

The poet uses a fairytale image to create a lack of realism in order to

re-enforce the optimistic tone As if I were the lucky prince in an enchanted

wood However the poet uses this technique further on in the poem to convey his

devastation when realising the he will not be able to communicate with his son

because of his disability; Never to come ashore into my kingdom speaking my

language In my opinion this creates a good contrast to that of his image at the

beginning of the poem. Jon Stallworthy uses a clever use of personification as

another technique in order to portray his hopes The tower held up its hand the

college bells shook their heads in blessing This once again stresses his

anticipation and excitement at the prospect of becoming a father. The poet also

uses personification as he describes the symbolic almond tree waving him. For

the tree was waving me waving me upstairs As before this is in direct contrast

to further on in the poem when the almond tree is once again waving at him; And

the almond waving me down This contrast I believe conveys the significance

between the two emotions that the poet is facing. When the almond tree is waving

the pet up stairs his emotions lack reality. However when the Almond tree is

waving him down it is a direct balance to before and he is brought back down to

reality. In order to create tension as the poets excitement increases at the

birth of his son the poet uses imagery and that becomes physiological as the

poet recreates the process of birth by using words like; spinal, bone white and

blood tide. The poet attempts to capture the rhythm of labour with Walls

shuddering ?shuddering womb?wave after wave wave after wave beat on the bone

coast. This also introduces the image of the sea, which is continued throughout

the poem Lashed down ship shape?my son sailed from me Are both in contrast to

the previous mention of ships as once again this technique portrays the poet?s

two very different emotions. One of the more used techniques that Jon

Stallworthy uses in this poem is a metaphor and he uses this technique along

with imagery to convey his happiness when his son is born as he compares his new

found happiness to wealth; My bright farthing coined by our love?how you

enrich us He describes his son as his best poem and welcomes him to his white

sheet. In my opinion this represents a new beginning however this does not last

for long as he is then told that his son is a Mongol. The manner in which he is

told that his son is a Mongol is straight to the point and very clinical. He

uses words such as scissored and slicing which both indicate his primary bonding

with his son have been cut. Your son is a Mongol Is detached blunt and straight

to the point and can be seen as monosyllabic. As clean as a bullet Describes how

this information destroys his life. This was my first death Explains that he

will experience this death more times in suffering. In order to relate the

poet?s lack of acceptance Jon Stallworthy describes the man as having an outer

body experience. The following words end in assonance, which gives the poem a

slower pace. As the symbolic Almond tree brings him back to reality it begins to

bud which I believe symbolises birth and life the tone becomes a more hopeful

one as; Bud after bud split Is the poet?s rebirth and understanding growing.

He sees it as beautiful labour like a mother giving birth and the trees full

blossom like a ship in full sail. From this technique I think that the poet can

now see himself blossom in the sense of understanding. Fathered by m son Only

when he recognises this can he turn to acknowledge the son he was about to

reject.