Critical Analysis of From Blossoms by Li-Young Lee

Poems like From Blossoms are ones that leave the reader with a positive demeanor
and a sense of optimism. This poems genre would be identified as a lyric because it is
being told as something that is explaining to enjoy little moments in life, and not telling a story
about an event. After fully analyzing this poem, it can be said that Li-Young Lee successfully
entertained the reader while evoking emotion through the tone and punctuation, and made it
universal through the speaker and diction, while its meaning expressed pure happiness.
Tone and punctuation are the two devices that give this poem a calming and peaceful
mood. Lee uses imagery to create this tone by saying things like succulent peaches we devour,
dusty skin and all, comes the familiar dust of summer by making a happy scenario form into the
readers mind. Punctuation also helps the reader feel relaxed because there are so many
commas that force the reader to rest multiple times throughout every line. For example, in
stanza three alone, there are a total of nine commas. Resting nine times throughout a stanza
creates a very relaxed energy and supports the peaceful tone of the poem.
From Blossoms is universal, meaning it is relatable to just about anyone. Li-Young Lee
does this using the two elements of speaker and diction. The speaker of this poem is in first
person plural, as seen in lines like O, to take what we love inside, to carry within us and
orchard and there are days we live as if death were nowhere in the background creating a
feeling that this poem is talking about everyone who reads the poem, rather than just a select
group of people. By doing this, the reader becomes emotionally invested in the poem by maybe
recalling a past occurrence where they felt the same happiness the author is specifying. Not
only that, but the diction Lee uses is very simple so that most people could understand the
poem, with no issue. Words he uses include blossom, nectar, roadside, and fruit to name
of few. Overall, just about any person listening to, or reading this poem can comprehend and
enjoy this story.

Out of every device used in this poem, meaning was definitely the most effective
element. The meaning is to live life simply, to enjoy the little things, and that everything is
interconnected. In the lines, From laden boughs, from hands, from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent peaches we devour it is explained that so many little
things had to happen for the peach to arrive in the speakers hands. The speaker continues to
explain that he appreciates that without those little steps of life, he would not have that moment
of happiness with the peach. When Lee writes from joy to joy to joy, from wing to wing, from
blossom to blossom to impossible blossom to sweet impossible blossom he is explaining that it
is almost impossible that circumstances lined up to create the moment he is in, and he is
enjoying every second of it.
Li-Young Lee creates a beautiful scenario from such a simple event that happens in
most peoples lives. The meaning of this poem really reflects that finding happiness in the
smallest of moments creates a greater life for anyone. This is easily expressed through Lees
use of tone and punctuation as well as the diction and point of view, to highlight the meaning of
this very well-written poem.

From Blossoms Li-Young Lee, 1957

From blossoms comes

this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches.

From laden boughs, from hands,

from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.

O, to take what we love inside,

to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.

There are days we live

as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing,
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.