Reflections of a Gift Watermelon Pickle Received from Felicity

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Reflections of a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity Commentary The poem Reflections of a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity, written by John Tobias, addresses the theme of nostalgia and the persona’s childhood. The speaker reminisces of his childhood, and the happiness he experienced at those innocent times. Tobias is able to address the theme relating to childhood and nostalgia by using detailed and creative imagination, the title, and structure. The title alone already speaks volume to the main idea of the poem. The phrase “Reflections of a Gift” shows that the poem is the speaker commenting on a past memory and its significance. By referencing the memory as a “Gift”, the reader can determine that the memory itself is one that consists of happiness. Prior to even reading the poem, the title already sets a positive tone, which will lead into the poem. The title then goes on to mention the actual gift which is the “Watermelon Pickle”. The Watermelon Pickle is he reoccurring symbol, which embellishes the theme of childhood memory and nostalgia. The Watermelon Pickle is used as a symbol to represent all that what was innocent during the persona’s childhood, as well as his imagination. Through the use of the symbol, the title once again creates a cheerful tone for the readers. The manner in which the poem is written creates an understanding of how the persona remembers his childhood and his feelings towards it. The lines predominantly are done in short phrases, which could be represented to a child’s endless amount of activities. A child never focusing on one task but instead just moving all around, this causes exhaustion. These short phrases create exhaustion. On the other hand, the short phrases also represent the child’s excitement to move on to a new project. The short phrases symbolize the want

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