Pineapples and Pomegranates

by Paul Muldoon

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Summary

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Lines 1–2

Muldoon opens "Pineapples and Pomegranates" with a vivid recounting of a personal tale, conjuring the speaker’s first brush with the exotic fruit, a pineapple, at the tender age of thirteen. The poet skillfully draws us into the tactile world of his memory, stating, “I would grapple / with my first pineapple.” The choice of words ignites the senses, setting up a playful rhyme scheme between "grapple" and "pineapple." This pattern of rhyming couplets weaves its way throughout the poem, adding rhythm and continuity to the narrative.

Lines 3–4

As the narrative unfolds in the following lines, the speaker delves deeper into the recollection, remarking on the pineapple’s "exposed breast / setting itself as another test." Here, Muldoon employs a metaphor that personifies the fruit, likening it to a female form. This comparison enhances the fruit’s allure and mystery, highlighting its exotic, almost seductive nature. The use of the precise end-rhyme of "breast" and "test" further enriches the poem’s rhythmic charm.

Lines 5–6

The notion of the pineapple as a tempting challenge is amplified in lines 5 and 6, where the speaker plainly calls the fruit a test "of my willpower." Yet, even in his youth, the speaker sensed the pineapple’s deeper significance, implying it symbolized something greater. This realization adds layers of intrigue to the fruit, prompting the speaker’s reflections to transcend mere nostalgia.

Lines 7–8

In these lines, the speaker admits he had “absolutely no sense / of its being a worldwide symbol of munificence.” Muldoon deftly contrasts the adult understanding of the pineapple as a symbol of generosity with the speaker’s youthful innocence. The term "symbol" underscores the speaker’s evolution from an unknowing child to a perceptive adult, and possibly, a poet.

Significantly, the eighth line concludes a sentence that began with the poem, creating a fluid narrative that mirrors the speaker’s stream of consciousness. This continuous sentence, spanning the poem’s first eight lines, forms an octave, akin to that of a traditional sonnet, setting the stage for the poem’s deeper exploration.

Lines 9–10

Muldoon then delivers a sharp contrast in line 9 with the succinct, "Munificence—right?" The abruptness of this line punctuates the speaker's shift from his introspective wanderings to a new train of thought. The em dash and questioning "right?" inject a note of uncertainty, as the speaker’s focus turns from the pineapple’s symbolic nature to the weight of the word “munificence.” He continues with, “Not munitions, if you understand / where I’m coming from.”

Here, Muldoon introduces a jarring juxtaposition between "munificence" and "munitions," two words resonant with contrasting meanings. "Munitions" evokes images of warfare, a stark deviation from the benevolent tone of "munificence," reflecting how language and ideas can swiftly transform from kindness to conflict. This transition alludes to the poet’s Northern Irish roots, a land troubled by strife, reinforcing the tension between peace and violence.

Lines 11–13

In a contemplation that stretches from line 10 to 13, the speaker yearns for peace as he muses on "munificence" and "munitions": “As if the open hand / might, for once, put paid / to the hand grenade / in one corner of the planet.” The image of an open hand symbolizes generosity, a hopeful gesture that the speaker wishes could silence the destructive force of munitions embodied by the hand grenade. By repeating "hand," Muldoon accentuates the delicate switch between charity and destruction.

The mention of "one corner of the planet" underscores the global nature of conflict. Muldoon dedicates the poem to the memory of Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, perhaps drawing parallels to the unending struggles both in Northern Ireland and...

(This entire section contains 790 words.)

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Israel.

Line 14

The poem draws to a close with the line: “I’m talking about pineapples—right?—not pomegranates.” Once more, Muldoon shifts from one word to another, "pineapples" to "pomegranates," each carrying its own weighty symbolism. While pineapples stand for generosity, pomegranates traditionally symbolize allure—an allusion to their mythological association with temptation and the underworld in Greek lore, through Persephone’s tale. By juxtaposing these fruits, Muldoon emphasizes the precarious balance between benevolence and peril.

Muldoon’s return to the question “right?” disrupts the final line, infusing it with a hint of doubt. Rather than offering a definitive hope for peace, the poem concludes with an air of uncertainty, leaving the speaker questioning his own understanding.

The poetic journey commenced with an intimate recollection of a youthful and largely joyful memory. Yet, instead of delivering a clear-cut conclusion to the initial stanza, the sestet—those final six lines—diverges by spotlighting the uncertainties and burdens of adulthood, shadowed by the specter of global strife. Through brisk sentences, harmonious rhymes, cyclic repetitions, and subtle shifts in language, the poem fortifies the notion that both reminiscence and the present truth are elusive and ever-shifting.

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