The Myth of Persephone

The Pomegranate by Eavan Boland 

This shows Persephone in the Underworld and Demeter reaching for her. It is not perfect for this poem because the poem is about letting go and the picture does not look like they want to be separated. Or it could look like Demeter is like "whatever I don't care if you are abducted by Hades" that does not fit either because Demeter is supposed to care. The options from google image search were disappointing.

 

 

 

This is a goodish one of Persephone super into her pomegranates. I guess it is more accurate than the previous one.

Title: The Pomegranate. This will most likely have something to do with the myth of Persephone and the Underworld. (I already knew this because I have already read the poem. But I doubt I would have said this was about a tasty salad or something. I mean this is like the only thing pomegranates are known for.)

Paraphrase: The poem is written from the perspective of a woman who considers the myth of Persephone and the Pomegranate from both the perspective of Persephone and her mother, Demeter (or Ceres in Roman mythology).

Connotation: She struggles, just as Demeter did, with letting her daughter grow up and experience the harshness of the world. While discovering “the underworld” could be interpreted as maturing sexually, I think the poem deals more with coping with the harshness of the real world. She does not want her daughter to experience pain as she did, but she knows that she must let her daughter grow up on her own as she was able to do.

Attitude: The narrator is contemplative and slightly heavy hearted because she is aware that she is letting her daughter enter a world where she will experience pain, yet she knows she must stay silent and allow her daughter to go on her won journey. While dejected that she can no longer protect her daughter, she is satisfied knowing this is the journey that all parents must send their children on.

Shift: The major shit in the poem is on line 19 “But I was Ceres then…” This indicates when the narrator shifts from thinking of herself as a young girl (Persephone) and a mother (Ceres).  The second shift occurs at the second “but” on line 46 when the mother shifts from thinking of shielding her daughter, to knowing that she must let her daughter experience life for herself.

Title: I was right. The pomegranate indicates the myth, but also symbolizes her daughter’s step into the “real world”.

Theme: The poet ponders over the point at which a mother must let her daughter go on her own into the “real world” where she can no longer shield her from pain—something that mothers and daughters have been facing since ancient times.

I knew I was going to analyze this poem after reading the first two lines “The only legend I have ever loved//is a story of a daughter lost in hell.” Persephone is my favorite myth so at least the author and I have that in common. And then the rest of the essay is about a mother sending her daughter out into the real world, which seems coincidental because I am a daughter and I’m pretty sure I'm about to go out in the real world. Mostly though I was drawn to how the mother was determined to let her daughter experience the world on her own. It sounds eerily similar to my parents—I mean they did allow me to go off to Germany my sophomore year. Plus they have told me before that that is their philosophy on life, and because my father is a philosopher I am sure he has spent a good deal of time contemplating that. I don’t know if they tell me “nothing” but I think they intend for me to experience things for myself. However, if I misinterpreted this poem and it was about sexual exploits I’m pretty sure I should have picked a different poem. Except after rereading the poem to make sure, I think I’m ok.