Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Dorianne Laux?s “A Short History of the Apple” is a rich, condensed meditation on the apple as a symbol of human culture, myth, and survival. Through its vivid imagery and thematic layering, the poem encapsulates the apple?s evolution from a natural fruit to an emblem of history, knowledge, and identity. Laux employs historical allusions, literary references, and scientific facts to create a multifaceted narrative that is at once personal, cultural, and universal.

The poem begins with the sensory immediacy of biting into an apple: “Teeth at the skin. Anticipation. / Then flesh.” These opening lines situate the reader in the visceral present, invoking the tactile and gustatory pleasure of the act. The image of “grain on the tongue” captures the apple’s texture, inviting us to reflect on how such a simple experience connects us to a larger story. Laux moves seamlessly from this individual moment to the collective myth of “Eve’s knees ground in the dirt / of paradise,” tying the apple to the origin of sin and human consciousness. By evoking Eve’s act of defiance, the poem introduces the apple as a symbol of desire, knowledge, and consequence.

The poem’s tone shifts as it moves into the realm of science with “Newton watching / gravity happen.” Here, the apple becomes a metaphor for discovery, representing humanity?s pursuit of understanding. This transition from myth to science mirrors the broader narrative arc of human progress, as the poem oscillates between the mythical and the factual. The reference to the “starry core” of the apple further enhances its symbolic resonance, suggesting the universe contained within the humble fruit, as well as the duality of sweetness and bitterness inherent in life.

Laux continues to weave history and folklore into her narrative. The invocation of William Tell and his “lucky arrow” highlights the apple’s role in legend, while “Snow White with poison on her lips” underscores its darker, more sinister associations. These references, placed alongside factual details like “fire blight,” “scab,” and “powdery mildew,” demonstrate the apple’s resilience in the face of adversity. The phrase “the apple endures” serves as a pivot point, affirming the fruit?s status as a symbol of survival and continuity.

The poem also delves into the apple’s origins and cultivation, from its “wild rose” and “crab ancestors” to its domestication, beginning in “Kazakhstan.” This genealogical exploration situates the apple within a broader ecological and historical context, reminding us of its deep ties to human migration and agriculture. Figures like “John Chapman”—the legendary Johnny Appleseed—embody the spirit of exploration and expansion, as the apple becomes intertwined with the mythos of “Westward Expansion.” These references reveal how the apple has been shaped by and has shaped human culture.

The poem’s celebration of the apple as an enduring cultural icon crescendos in its evocation of “apple pie,” a quintessential symbol of Americana. The phrase “American as” leaves the conclusion open-ended, allowing readers to fill in the familiar expression, “as apple pie,” while also suggesting the incomplete nature of national identity. The inclusion of “hard cider” and “Winter banana” connects the fruit to both rustic tradition and culinary invention, underscoring its versatility.

Laux’s language is rich with sensory detail and layered meanings, blending the personal with the universal. The closing lines, “Melt-in-the-mouth made sweet / by hives of Britain’s honeybees: / white man’s flies. O eat. O eat,” return to the physical and historical, juxtaposing the sweetness of the apple with the darker legacy of colonialism. The phrase “white man’s flies” critiques the ecological and cultural impact of colonization, while the repeated imperative “O eat. O eat” invites readers to partake in both the pleasure and the knowledge the apple represents.

Structurally, the poem is free-flowing, its short, fragmented lines reflecting the episodic nature of the apple’s history. The lack of punctuation mirrors the unbroken continuity of the apple’s journey through time, while the enjambment propels the narrative forward. This formal choice aligns with the poem’s thematic exploration of persistence and evolution.

In “A Short History of the Apple”, Laux transforms the mundane into the monumental, tracing the apple’s trajectory from its ancient origins to its symbolic role in contemporary culture. By intertwining myth, history, and sensory experience, the poem invites us to consider how something as simple as a fruit can carry the weight of human aspiration, struggle, and identity. The apple, in Laux’s hands, becomes not just a symbol of knowledge or temptation but a testament to resilience and the interconnectedness of life.

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