Need a response paper for literature (page & half.) the attached documents will have the instructions and poem needed to get this assignment done. I'll also attach two example response papers to give you an idea of how it needs to be done. If poetry is yo

Dr. Wolfgang Lepschy

LIT 2000

March 31, 2017

The Blackberry in “Blackberry Eating”

In the poem “Blackberry Eating,” Galway Kinnell decides to use a blackberry to describe the way that he views words and writing. He deliberately compares blackberries and words in such depth that links these objects in a way that one would have rarely seen on one’s own. Kinnell uses such familiarity and ease when reflecting on each subject that it would be difficult to dispute the similarities. Kinnell makes no mistake in selecting this berry over a cherry or blueberry. A blackberry’s individual precise lumps come together to form the whole berry, much like words must to convey an idea. Additionally, blackberries produce a dark, rich juice, similar to ink on a page. The berries and words also both grow wild and may have sharp edges. All of these minute likenesses come together to truly make a blackberry’s similarity to words more significant than any other arbitrary berry.

Primarily, the many spherical clusters that comprise a blackberry are significant to the choice of this berry to compare to words. After the transition from the narrator reminiscing about eating blackberries to describing their relation to words in the ninth line, the author uses the words “one-syllable lumps” to portray the parts of words. The usage of the word “lumps” directly reflects on the clusters that make up blackberries. In addition, this creates the mental picture of multiple syllables lumped together, like blackberries clusters, to form a whole word. The comparison allows the reader to truly analyze how many small parts must come together to create a whole word. Each syllable of a word creates varying sounds that lump together and produce a network of noises and parts that deliver a word that is discernable and familiar to the human ear.

In addition, the color and amount of juice that blackberries possess is definitely an influential factor in Kinnell selecting a blackberry over all other berries to convey his perception of words. In the beginning of the stanza, the narrator is describing, in great detail, his ventures of eating ripe blackberries in late September. The narrator depicts the blackberry plant itself producing the berries as a “black art.” This phrase refers to the dark juice that is squeezed out of the berry, but also is referring to them as an “art.” The author uses this choice of words deliberatively to show his appreciation for the formation of these delicious berries and their unique nature. Also, this allows the reader to picture a dark, whimsical juice from blackberries. When the word description stanzas are introduced, that mental picture is still fresh in the reader’s mind and a comparison to artful black ink etched on a page may easily be imagined. After the transition of the narrator’s focus to words, he describes his use of words as “I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge well / in the silent, startled, icy, black language.” The onomatopoeias and alliteration the narrator uses trigger the thought of blackberry juice. The description of “black language” also helps the correlation between the black ink on a page and the blackberry juice to be formed.

Additionally, the wild way in which the blackberry vines grow, as well as the sharp thorns that they possess, are significant qualities to the selection of this specific berry. When describing the art of blackberry eating, the narrator uses the phrase “stalks very prickly, a penalty” to portray the blackberry vines. The usage of the word “penalty” to describe the thorns on the vines suggests that there is a consequence for eating a delicious berry with sharp edges. The narrator must be careful to avoid the thorns to collect the ripe fruit. This can directly relate to the manner in which words may be perceived. Words can have sharp, hurtful edges. The hurtful words must be avoided in order to receive what you want in life. Thoughts of words are always going to grow wild, but the correct words must be carefully selected in order to not cut ties.

Moreover, small, sweet clusters that comprise blackberries much like sounds and syllables make up words. The black juice that bursts out of blackberries when a bite is taken directly relates to the black ink used to record words on a page. The wild blackberry vines and their sharp thorns are identical to the sharp edges that words are capable of having. Kinnell aptly chooses the blackberry to convey his perception of words.