Analysis of "Persimmons" by Lee-Young lee

In "Persimmons," Lee-Young Lee begins with his childhood confusion between the words “persimmon” and “precision.” Although their meanings are totally different, he connects them somehow by didactically explaining the skill of picking ripe “persimmons” with “precision.” He later mentions his other childhood confusions with “fight” and fright,” and “yarn” and “wren,” in the fourth stanza, and links these words that sound similar, but have different meanings. The vocabulary used in the poem is simple overall, which is consistent with the voice of poem – a Chinese accent. There are no significant grammatical errors, but the structure of poem resembles that of a Chinese accent, spoken in short intervals: “I teach her Chinese. Crickets: chiu chiu. Dew: I've forgotten. Naked: I've forgotten. Ni, wo: you and me.” The language of the poem is direct, but the connotation of the latter half of the poem, explaining the father’s blindness, makes the reader think about picking persimmons in a different light, as the father, blind, remembers the weight and texture of a ripe persimmon – the kind of age old habit or skill that one might have, and will never forget, even if one goes blind.

Maw's Favorite Piece of Literature

Maw's favorite piece of literature was "A Temporary Matter," by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is a short story about a married couple who are plagued by the death of their baby during birth. Suffering from the tragedy, the couple chooses to alienate each other to avoid being reminded of their baby's death. During a series of electricity outage, the couple is forced to face each other as they eat dinner around a candle. The couple confesses what they have never told each other over the dinners. In the end, the woman reveals that she plans to move out, and they separate.
Maw liked this short story because of the cozy, homey atmosphere it creates, despite its distressing theme, as the author uses visual and direct words to illustrate the couples habits and customs. Maw was impacted by the strong nature of the female main character of the story, and it inspires Maw towards feminism. The three words Maw used to describe the story are: "secret," "isolation," and "simplicity." Her favorite line is the last sentence of the story, "They wept together, for the things they now knew." This line summarizes the feeling of exchanging secrets, and the resulting irreversible effects. Maw recommends "A Temporary Matter" to anyone who enjoys short stories.