A Close Examination of 'Orchids' by Hazel Simmons-McDonald




FEATURES OF ORCHIDS

Note: These features are being provided so as to put the actions in the poem into context.

- Many of them are difficult to grow and keep alive.
- Many people find it hard to get them to bloom.
- They do not require a lot of watering.
- They are used to good air circulation and light.
- The appearance of orchids often gives clues about how they should be cared for.
- They are valued by many people.


Key Points by Stanza

Stanza 1 and 2: The persona in the poem is packing up to move from a place she has stayed for five-weeks. She intends to send the items she has packed to the new place. 

Stanza 3: One thing captures the persona's attention - a spray of orchids she got from someone.

Stanza 4: The orchids are described as having no fragrance and having purple petals. 

Stanza 5-6: The persona watered them when they were in full blown but instead of dying as she intended they are resilient and continue to thrive.

Stanza 7: On the morning the persona is to leave, there is a new bud that has started to spring forth.

Stanzas 8-10: Intrigued by the flowers' ability to survive in spite of how poorly they have been treated, the persona decides to pick some of the blooms and keep them hoping to see what more she can learn about the orchids.


THEMES: the natural environment, humans versus nature, understanding poetry, human nature

TONE: contemplative, fascinated, curious





LITERARY DEVICES

Metaphor: 'box pieces of the five-week life', 'pages of memory' 'their peculiar poetry'

Simile: 'when the blossoms were full bloom like polished poems'

Personification: 'They were stubborn.' 'I starved them.' 'They refused to die.'

Irony: The flowers persevere although the persona watered them with the expectation that they would wilt. For flowers that are particularly difficult to care for it is interesting that they thrive in spite of the persona's indifference.

Imagery: 'purple petals draw you to a purple heart' 'the buds at the stalk's tip unfurled', full-blown blossoms, 'thin dried up transparency'

Symbolism: 1.) The orchids are symbolic of resilience. 2.) Orchids are like poetry. It takes time to understand and appreciate the different features of a poem in the same way it takes time to appreciate the beauty of orchids. 

Contrast: At first the persona is indifferent to the flowers. She does not care if they live and even makes deliberate attempts to kill them. However, this attitude changes when she recognises that the flowers are determined to live and this causes her to view them differently. She comes to admire them.

Key Takeaways

1. The persona in the poem does not seem to become attached to things. Note her brief five week stay in the place she is moving and her refusal to develop an attachment to the flowers. 

2. She has not placed much value on the orchids although their value is widely known. In fact, she is sure they would die after her deliberate attempts to kill them and she would just throw them away. She had no intention of taking the flowers with her.

3. The flowers, though, refuse to die and this is testament to their resilience. They are brave enough to endure and survive the indifferent treatment they have received at the hands of the persona. A new bud even appears on the morning the persona is to leave which is a clear indication that they intend to be around for a long time.

4. The flowers' resilience has left the persona so intrigued that she decides to pick 'the full-blown blossoms' and 'press them between pages of memory.' She plans to study them and learn what makes them so beautiful and unique.

5. Orchids and poetry are similar. They require patience in order for you to discover and understand all the beauty that they offer.

Questions to Consider

a. What is the significance of imagery in the poem?
b. What is suggested about the flowers from the lines: "a spray of orchids someone gave/from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent"?
c. In what way are the flowers different from the persona?
d. What aspect of their (the flowers') 'peculiar poetry' do you think the persona will discover?


Click this link: https://cxcenglishastudyhub.blogspot.com/2020/02/an-analysis-of-olive-seniors.html to gain access to an analysis of 'Birdshooting Season' by Olive Senior. 

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