Comparing Poems 'Picking And Haeney's Blackberries'

The Ambiguity of Blackberries
A poem’s deeper meaning is rarely apparent on the surface. Poems, however small or large typically have an ambiguous message. The true beauty of a poem is that they are open for the interpretation. Ellen Hunnicutt, the author of the original “Blackberries,” inspired many others to write poems on the subject of blackberries. Similar to some extent, Robert Hass’, “Picking Blackberries with a Friend Who has Been Reading Jacques Lacan” and Seamus Haeney’s, “Blackberry-picking” share a variety of common ground. Both poems are literally similar as well as figuratively. Beginning with a literal comparison, the title. “Picking Blackberries…” and “Blackberry-picking” both used the action word of picking. This may come across as a minute similarity; however, it is not. “Picking” represents a memory of a past action or a past time. Although “Picking Blackberries with a Friend Who Has Been Reading Jacques Lacan” was written in present tense, Robert Hass is looking back to his past.
Despite the drought, the “Juice gathers in the berries.” The drought can be seen as a dark or negative period in a person’s life. Juice still gathers in the berries and can be looked at as optimism. Regardless of the drought, the juice gathering in the berries is similar to there being “a light at the end of the tunnel.” It symbolizes hope and having something to look forward to throughout difficult times. The weather in “ Blackberry-picking” can also be viewed as a reference to life. “Blackberry-picking” offers a dramatic change in weather conditions. Not only does “heavy rain and sun for a full week” signify the weather changes, but much more the Ups- and- Downs of life. Both poems recognize the struggles in everyday life. At this point both authors are