¶ … 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...
The persimmon takes on human characteristics and is described as having skin, meat, and a heart. Furthermore, the approach to eating a persimmon is very sensual; the chewing, sucking, and swallowing of the fruit take on different connotations when paired with the following stanza.
In the third stanza, the narrator introduces Donna, a woman with whom he has a relationship with. Much like the persimmon, Donna is literally stripped of her outer covering, an invitation that insinuates that the narrator is given permission to consume her, as he would a persimmon. One again, the reader is introduced to the concept of language. In this instance, instead of trying to learn English, the narrator tries to teach his lover Chinese. It is also at this point, when the narrator admits that he has forgotten how to say "dew" and "naked" in Chinese, it appears to indicate that this loss of memory for what he used to know and who he was shakes his confidence. As the narrator proceeds to make love to Donna, he remembers "to tell her/she is beautiful as the moon." By comparing Donna to the moon, the narrator shows his respect for her and her willingness to give herself to him. It is important to note that in Chinese culture, the moon is a revered female entity often associated with yin; later in the poem, the narrator will compare persimmons to the sun, which is often associated with yang thus forming a complete entity. Perhaps the narrator sees himself as being comparable to the sun, thus being able to become a single, whole, and balanced person when he is with Donna.
The theme of language continues in the fourth stanza as the narrator further analyzes words that he often confused as a child. The narrator associates fight and fright and comments on how though each word has a different intrinsic meaning, the words complement each other and are often used in unison to describe how he feels. Fighting was a reaction being frightened and inversely the narrator was frightened while fighting. There is no indication as to when the narrator felt frightened, nor…
