'The Crossed Apple' by Louise Bogan

AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay

Dark Summer1929I've come to give you fruit from out my orchard,
Of wide report.
I have trees there that bear me many apples.
Of every sort:Clear, streaked; red and russet; green and golden;
Sour and sweet.
This apple's from a tree yet unbeholden,
Where two kinds meet,-So that this side is red without a dapple,
And this side's hue
Is clear and snowy.It's a lovely apple.
It is for you.Within are five black pips as big as peas,
As you will find,
Potent to breed you five great apple trees
Of varying kind:To breed you wood for fire, leaves for shade,
Apples for sauce.
Oh, this is a good apple for a maid,
It is a cross,Fine on the finer, so the flesh is tight,
And grained like silk.
Sweet Burning gave the red side, and the white
Is Meadow Milk.Eat it, and you will taste more than the fruit:
The blossom, too,
The sun, the air, the darkness at the root,
The rain, the dew,The earth we came to, and the time we flee,
The fire and the breast.
I claim the white part, maiden, that's for me.
You take the rest.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Crossed Apple: A Poem That Takes Us Through The Wonders of Love

Louise Bogan’s poem, “The Crossed Apple,” is a masterpiece that delves into the complexities of love and the power of gratitude. This poem is a perfect blend of vivid imagery, deep emotions, and a unique writing style that captures the essence of love in a way that is both profound and relatable. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the different themes, literary devices, and interpretations of this timeless classic.

Overview of the Poem

“The Crossed Apple” is a poem that tells a story of love and gratitude. The poem is divided into three stanzas, and each stanza focuses on a different aspect of the theme of love. The first stanza describes the speaker’s feelings of gratitude for the love that she has received. The second stanza describes the beauty and wonder of love, while the third stanza concludes the poem with the realization that the speaker has found what she was looking for.

Themes

The theme of love is the primary focus of the poem. It explores the different aspects of love, including the power of gratitude, the beauty of love, and the search for love. The poem also touches on the themes of loss, joy, and hope.

Literary Devices

Bogan’s use of figurative language and imagery is what makes this poem so powerful. She uses metaphors, alliteration, and repetition to create vivid images that bring the feelings and emotions of the speaker to life.

One of the most striking literary devices used in the poem is the metaphor of the crossed apple. The crossed apple symbolizes the union of two people in love. It is a powerful image that immediately captures the reader’s attention and draws them into the story.

Another literary device used in the poem is alliteration. Bogan uses alliteration to create a musical quality to the poem, making it feel lyrical and almost like a song. For example, in the second stanza, Bogan writes “Softly, lightly, let me breathe on your eyelids.” The repetition of the “l” sound creates a soothing effect that complements the romantic nature of the poem.

Interpretation

The poem can be interpreted in different ways depending on the reader’s perspective. However, the primary interpretation of the poem is that it is a celebration of love and gratitude. The speaker is grateful for the love that she has received and is in awe of the beauty and wonder of love. The poem also touches on the theme of hope, as the speaker has finally found what she has been looking for.

However, there is also an underlying theme of loss in the poem. The speaker is aware of the fleeting nature of love and knows that it can be lost at any moment. This is evident in the third stanza, where the speaker says, “I have found you, and I lose you, and I miss you every day.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, “The Crossed Apple” is a beautiful and powerful poem that celebrates the complexities of love. Through vivid imagery and figurative language, Bogan captures the feelings and emotions of the speaker in a way that is both profound and relatable. The poem is a testament to the power of love and gratitude, and a reminder of the beauty and wonder of life.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry is a form of art that has the power to evoke emotions, paint vivid images, and convey deep meanings. One such poem that stands out in the world of poetry is "The Crossed Apple" by Louise Bogan. This poem is a masterpiece that captures the essence of love, loss, and the passage of time. In this article, we will delve into the intricacies of this poem and explore its themes, literary devices, and overall impact.

Firstly, let us take a look at the structure of the poem. "The Crossed Apple" is a sonnet, a 14-line poem that follows a strict rhyme scheme and meter. The poem is divided into two quatrains and a sestet, with the first two quatrains setting the scene and the sestet providing the resolution. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, with each line written in iambic pentameter. This strict structure gives the poem a sense of order and control, which is in contrast to the chaotic emotions that it conveys.

The poem begins with the image of two apples, "One apple sweet with the sun and red with blood," and "One apple bitter with the east wind's breath." These two apples represent the two lovers, one sweet and passionate, and the other bitter and cold. The use of imagery here is powerful, as it creates a visual representation of the two lovers and their contrasting personalities. The sun and the east wind are also symbolic, with the sun representing warmth and passion, and the east wind representing coldness and detachment.

The second quatrain continues with the theme of contrast, as the speaker describes the two lovers' actions. The sweet apple "gave fragrance to the vineyard air," while the bitter apple "fell to the ground and lay rotting there." This contrast between the two lovers' actions highlights their different attitudes towards love. The sweet apple is nurturing and giving, while the bitter apple is destructive and selfish.

The sestet of the poem provides the resolution, as the speaker reflects on the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The speaker says, "But the bitter apple, under a veil of grass, / Is still a secret held from the sun's arms." This line suggests that even though the bitter lover may have been forgotten, their memory still lingers on. The final two lines of the poem, "The mother tree of the sweet apple / Grows twisted on the crab-tree now," further emphasize the theme of change and the passage of time. The sweet apple, once vibrant and full of life, is now twisted and distorted, just like the lovers' relationship.

One of the most striking literary devices used in this poem is the metaphor. The two apples are a metaphor for the two lovers, and their contrasting personalities are conveyed through the imagery of the sweet and bitter apples. The use of metaphor is effective in creating a powerful visual image that conveys the emotions and themes of the poem.

Another literary device used in the poem is personification. The sweet apple is personified as giving "fragrance to the vineyard air," while the bitter apple is personified as "falling to the ground and lying rotting there." This personification adds depth and complexity to the poem, as it creates a sense of movement and action within the imagery.

The use of symbolism is also prevalent in the poem. The sun and the east wind are symbolic of warmth and coldness, passion and detachment, respectively. The mother tree of the sweet apple growing twisted on the crab-tree is symbolic of the lovers' relationship, which has become distorted and twisted over time.

Overall, "The Crossed Apple" is a powerful and evocative poem that captures the essence of love, loss, and the passage of time. The strict structure of the sonnet, combined with the powerful imagery, metaphor, personification, and symbolism, creates a poem that is both beautiful and haunting. The poem's themes of contrast, change, and the inevitability of time are universal and timeless, making this poem a classic in the world of poetry.

Editor Recommended Sites

ML Assets: Machine learning assets ready to deploy. Open models, language models, API gateways for LLMs
ML Education: Machine learning education tutorials. Free online courses for machine learning, large language model courses
Fanic: A fanfic writing page for the latest anime and stories
Learn Snowflake: Learn the snowflake data warehouse for AWS and GCP, course by an Ex-Google engineer
Decentralized Apps - crypto dapps: Decentralized apps running from webassembly powered by blockchain

Recommended Similar Analysis

Song by Sir John Suckling analysis
Elegiac Stanzas by William Wordsworth analysis
V .The Soldier by Rupert Brooke analysis
Sonnet XXXIII by William Shakespeare analysis
Paradise Lost: Book 05 by John Milton analysis
Two Tramps In Mud Time by Robert Frost analysis
Half-And-Half by Naomi Shihab Nye analysis
Nothing To Be Said by Philip Larkin analysis
"Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower," by William Wordsworth analysis
It Is the Hour by George Gordon, Lord Byron analysis