The Black Walnut Tree - Essay Example

Task The Black Walnut Tree The poem generally talks about a young girl and her mother. The two women have to content with the beliefs of their ancestors no matter the era in which they are living in. In addition to observing the traditions set by their ancestors, they have to ensure that they are sacred. The tree is therefore used as a symbol of traditions that compels them to act according to the set norms. The poem also brings out various emotions that describe the traits of their ancestors.

The poem arouses feelings of resentment towards the daughter and the mother. The poem revolves around symbolism that arouses many emotions in the entire poem.Monuments are used to symbolize remembrance of the traditions practiced long ago. The daughter and mother symbolize the current generation that has to conform to the past. They used show how the traditions that held the core of the society are no more. When they talk of selling the walnut tree to the lumberman, this means letting go off the traditions in their society.

The traditions that the ancestors worked for so long are what the recent generation keeps discarding. The current generation does not realize that the ancestors worked untiringly to keep these traditions alive. The persona expresses this by saying that the ancestors kept planting new trees. This means that they were always at the forefront in ensuring that the traditions are sacred.The audience feels that though there are many traditions that are still in place, there are no more patriots. This is because the current world is faced with many turbulent forces that emanate from all edges.

On the other hand, change is to blame for the mishap. This is because the lifestyle keeps changing and hence the reason as to why generations change. The poem makes the reader to see the way the persona regrets about their mode of life. This is when he talks about crawling away in shame if their ancestors made a mistake of reliving again. The persona would be extremely shocked because their ancestors would make them pay for this. The values that held the society together have being completely ignored.

The phrase ‘dig and sow’ as used in the poem is used to show the efforts that the ancestors had in safeguarding their traditions (Oliver). They thus used to toil to ensure that everything ran as per their traditions. They were always at the forefront in ensuring that the values are for the entire society. They were always eager to ensure that the generation that they brought up was aware of what was expected in the society. The persona is quick to explain that even though people do way with their traditions they still have to be guilty about it.

This guilt is evident in the part where they say that that these run in their blood.The Narrator does not want to be like their ancestors, but wants to maintain some of the traditions that they upheld. This means that they always follow some of those values and discard what is not worth keeping. The world is dynamic but the parties involved have to act as per the present world. The poem uses symbolism all through to ensure that the message is well understood. All persons in the current world appear as brainwashed by the different cultures.

The persona though appears concerned, exemplified by how many persons have abandoned their cultures. No persons should let go off their cultures no matter what the circumstances.Work CitedOliver, Mary. The black walnut. 1992. Web. September 26, 2011. Available at: http://www.mrbauld.com/oliverpms.html.