Comparison Between the Poems ''My Father and the Fig Tree'' and ''Snapping Beans''

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FAMILY DYNAMICS Most of the time, we find ourselves surrounded by people that we love and people who love us back. However, there are also times when it is hard to distinguish the way others express their love towards us from the way we expect to be loved by them. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a great writer, once said “Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean that they don’t do it with all their heart” (Include CITATION). Every time I read the poems: “My Father and the Figtree” and “Snapping Beans”, I realize that even though there are differences in the dynamics of every family and their relationships, a common denominator of love, caring and understanding is always present. Naomi Shihab, author of “My Father and the Figtree” writes a poem based on the memories of her father’s Figtree related folktales which have remained very vivid in her recollection. In the poem, she describes how much her father used to talk about Fig trees and despite of it, his tendency to start a project but never finish it has stopped him from accomplishing important objectives, such as planting a fig tree: “What a dreamer he is. Look how many things he starts and doesn’t finish” (pg. 338). The poem implies a mood of nostalgia and joy, as the writer looks back and associates her father’s life with a fig tree, “ I’m talking about picking the largest, fattest, sweetest fig in the world and putting it in my mouth” (pg. 3387). “Snapping Beans”, a poem by Lisa Parker, is about a college girl and her grandmother sharing a warm moment together, where words were barely pronounced and thoughts were the only clue to express the way they were feeling: “We didn’t speak until the sun overcame the feathered tips of the corn field and Grandma stopped humming” (pg. 347). The granddaughter’s feeling of nostalgia mixed with a strong urge to share her college

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