A Writing Portfolio of attempted wit
 
Ode To Tomatoes

 by Pablo Neruda

The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it's time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth, recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.


 

 

1.Summary

This poem is about the beauty of tomatoes in many situations and extends to show how the simplest things have a beautiful essence, especially people. He takes things that we might view as commonplace and describes how extraordinary they can be.

Shifts

 

He changes the subject when speaking about different types of food: first tomatoes, then parsley, and oil. He changes the mood as he talks about different occasions: Summer feeling (balmy, intense), Weddings (happy, bright).

Title

The title of this poem is “Ode to Tomatoes” which is a dedication to the underappreciated but beautiful things throughout life.

 

Theme

The theme of this poem is that you must learn to embrace the usual things in life that are often seen as dull, and find the beauty within them.

Imagery

“Summer- light is halved like a tomato” is a simile comparing the time of day to a tomatoe half, meaning that it is noon.

“Tomato invades kitchen” is a personification. A tomato cannot physically invade and seize a kitchen; it is meant to show just how abundant the tomatoes are throughout the kitchen.

“It sheds it’s own light, benign majesty” is a metaphor comparing the beauty the writer sees in the tomato to a wonderful light. He is saying that the tomatoe is brilliant and gorgeous; it stands out when he looks at it.

“We must murder it” is a hyperbole, exaggerating how we cut up the tomato.

“It is wed to the clear onion” is a personification that shows how well the taste of tomatoes and onions complement each other.

 

Connotation

-Red Viscera: (guts) frightening, violent 

-Fiery colour: vibrant, angry, passionate

-bubble vigorously- aggressive, intense

- hemisphere- large, significant profound

 

Conflict

Man vs. Nature- This poem describes the relationship between man and a tomato.

Man vs Man- This poem also describes societies view on mundane things. The tomatoes can be seen as representing people. It shows people’s different opinions and perspectives of others.

 

 

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