The Hammock

I chose the poem "The Hammock" by Li-Young Lee.

The Tone in the poem seems to be calm and soothing, almost like a hammock is calm and soothing, but also a little tentative. The tone of the poem not only sets the moods, but also helps prove the imagery and theme throughout the poem.

Lee uses a calming and flowy Word choice, which helps show the tone. She uses words like lay, waiting, singing carried,thinking, kisses, etc. All of these words are calming in a way and helps to relax the reader as they read the poem. There is also a hence of nervousness with the words "almost comforted" and the initialization of amen and dear god.

With the word choice, Lee creates a soothing imagery. I was confused at first as to why it was called the hammock, but as I read in to the poem, I began to understand. Lee creates a powerfully calming image, with sentences such as "when I lay my head in my mothers lap" and "how she carried me on her back." This creates a calming image, I pictured the mother daughter and later in the poem the speaker and son on a hammock.

All of the length of lines of the poems and stanzas are different, but they all flow. It almost reminds me of the waves of an ocean, which is considered very calming, or the swing of a hammock, which again, is considered calming. The Style Lee uses again helps prove the tone, calming. The style could also symbolize problems and uncertainty in everyday life, symbolizing them being washed away.

Theme- Love can both be a moment of awe and a moment of uncertainty.

The first stanza is about the connection of the daughter (the speaker) and her mother. It is then focused on the speaker and her son. This shift shows how the love of a child transfers through generations and is always there, and how uncertainty is always present but must be avoided "between two unknowns" because that's how "I live my life." The theme is shown throughout the poem, at first the speaker seems to be in awe with the love of her mother but as the poem progresses, you find that there are many moments of uncertainty, but love will always prevail.

I chose this poem because within the first line of the poem, I saw it was talking about a mother. My mother is my best friend, my rock. I don't know where or what I would be without her. We have moments like that, moments of uncertainty where I have no idea what to think, but know she's loves me and figuratively, of course since I'm a fully grown human being, carries me on her back. Although I don't have a son of my own, like the speaker, so I cant relate to that feeling of uncertainty quite yet, I know I will feel it at some point in my life.