Literary Analysis of "Pomegranate" by Bruce Bond

In the contemporary society, many people undergo challenges depending on the nature of their environment, or sometimes due to uncertain circumstances for which they have no control. Yet amidst the challenges, they often hold onto the hope that at one time, they will obtain the peace they desire. In his free-verse poem "Pomegranate", Bruce Bond reminisces about the various phases of life, and fulfills the essence of personal experience bonded by a nurturing, yet bold and passionate fruit.

While composing his piece, the poet uses a combination of various literary devices with the aim of communicating a solid message to his audience. Upon reading, one is able to associate with the presented message through visualizing the narrator's life evoking feelings of sadness, yet a deeper longing for peace. Through the use of metaphors and other powerful literary devices, the author personifies and transforms the pomegranate into something more meaningful to explore the hardships and struggles faced in life.

Allegory in "Pomegranate"

An allegory, as a literary device, serves the purpose of bringing to light hidden meanings in pieces of literature with regard to everyday life. Bond titles his piece "Pomegranate", which is a sweet yet bold and passionate fruit. The fruit symbolizes the valiant hurdles that one can get to face in their daily lives. Additionally, he mentions some challenges that the reader can identify with, such as hunger — depicted by the constant craving mentioned in the poem. The lines "...bracing the hard fruit in your mere hand..." (4), along with "...the shallow fissure splits and reddens..." (7), explains the sense of hopelessness in which the narrator exists at this time, making it even possible for the reader to understand the situation at hand better. Probing the narration further, the lines "...its honeycomb filled with dead sweet bees..." (9) and "...your hunger is a straight line, pinned, and singing..." (10) indicate that the persona has swung too deep into frustration to the point that it is difficult to return. Towards the end of the poem, the writer mentions a few points that introduce the expectation of a better day in spite of the problems. These are "...now wherever you leave, it's winter." (19) and "Even in March as you return to your name's sake..." (22). These statements both aim at demonstrating the experience of winter and snow as wiping out the existing burdens to introduce a new beginning. With this, Bond illustrates that one can overcome any challenges, and that even better days can replace the worst ones.

Themes in "Pomegranate"

The author presents various subjects of discussion, also known as themes, which the reader can easily identify with — from within the text. In defining hardship, declarations such as "...brushing a fly from a bruise in the already blushed, misshapen surface..." (2) or "...a knife and a narrow gaze to guide it..." (5) are profound, and motion to the reader to recognize the condition of many people across the globe. Furthermore, he mentions that for a person to overcome a situation, they must take a righteous path. From this, it is clear that an individual can overcome hardship when they use the guidance learned in their difficult moments to define their future. Knowing ahead of time wherein consequences can occur from taking the wrong path is described by the author in the following way: "...all those times you slipped your tongue into the bright tomb the way a moth enters a jar of lamplight." (15-17). The allusion of winter coming each year, allowing the Earth to reinvent and reconvert itself and start anew in spring also presents to the reader the fact that one can always start over. This renewal comes the same time each year and is unlike the senses, feelings or actions in which individuals take. "You go to the window and wait, stare, turn away, and the long night trails you like a gown." (20-21). The burden for the actions taken throughout the experiences bear an enormous weight on the conscience and heart, but day by day hope prevails; the hope that everything will turn out alright.

One can conclude that both the aforementioned literary devices from Bonds' "Pomegranate" offers the reader a chance to visualize and personalize the various hardships the narrator faced in his life. The devices provide a point of view through which the reader can easily differentiate the moments of hopelessness that persist from the glimmer of hope, and propose that at some point, he will overcome his problems. While reflecting on the composition as a whole, one can gain insight into the hardships, hurdles, and the daunting tasks faced in everyday life. In every hardship, a person should try to identify anything positive that can enable them to grow and overcome encounters, no matter how haunting. We should all learn lessons from our actions each day and throughout our lives; how we choose to overcome and teach them can be our greatest accomplishments or our long-lasting hindrances.

Works Cited

1. Bond, Bruce. Pomegranate. Professor Treines. Print.