Poets often include in their poems places that evoke strong emotion. In the work of ONE poet you have studied, show how settings in poems have been connected to the presentation of feelings.
Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “My Father and the Fig Tree” explores her father’s connection to his home land, his nomadic life, vs his home in Texas. The first, and perhaps most obvious presentation of a feeling is in the title. Fig trees have cultural and religious connections to Palestine. Thus, the Fig Tree could be interpreted as “Palestine” or “Home.” “Home invokes feelings of belonging, and of comfort.
Another place she describes is in the first stanza, at her bedside. “In the evening he sat by my bed, weaving folktales like vivid little scarves.” The phrase “Vivid little scarves” stands out here. Each word has two syllables and repetition of consonants, either V, L, or S. These are softer consonants than, say, D or T. The softer consonant and repetition of syllables make the phrase flow very well. The flow of that sentence causes the reader to feel comfort, similar to the title. It is clear that the speaker is comfortable with their father.
In the third stanza another setting is introduced. The reader learns that the speaker moved around a lot, and that they never had a fig tree. “Years passed, we lived in many houses, / none had figtrees. / We had lima beans, zucchini, parsley, beets. / "Plant one!" my mother said. / But my father never did. / He tended garden half-heartedly, forgot to water, / let the okra get too big. / "What a dreamer he is. Look how many things / he starts and doesn't finish." The shortest line in that stanza is “none had figtrees.” This line stands out to the reader as a sadder line, because of the connotation of “home” with “figtree” and then the loss of the figtree means loss of home. It is also a lot shorter than the other lines, so it is clear that the reader should feel something there - and that emotion is sadness or loss. Then, there is the “conversation” between mother and father. While this is not in a particular setting, it can be inferred that they are at one of their many houses from the line “Years passed, we lived in many houses.” In the depiction of the mother, she is telling him to plant a figtree, create his own “home.” However, the father refuses to. Instead, he “half-heartedly” tended to the garden. “Half - heartedly” is certainly a depressing phrase, and sets the tone for the entire rest of the stanza. It is depressing because it implies having literally half of a heart, but figuratively, since the heart is connected to love, he is doing things with less love, less care. That definitely sets up the rest of the stanza to be rather depressing to the reader.
The last stanza, however, is full of much more hope. The first line “The last time he moved,” tells you he is done moving, and has finally settled down somewhere - we know the rest of the stanza will take place at his final home. He is “chanting a song” that the speaker has never heard before - he is singing, and happy, and the speaker has never seen him like this. This brings hope to the reader, especially after learning that he was unhappy in his previous situations. Then, his location is specified to Dallas, Texas. The state of Texas conjures images of white, American rednecks and republicans. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it does not fit in with the father we have been introduced to. Learning he is in Dallas, Texas, confuses the reader. But then, the speaker tells us about the beautiful figtree in his backyard. This figtree that has always been representing home, and comfort, is finally there for him, and to that there is a feeling of relief. The reader is happy for the father, who finally feels at home. The last line, “of a world that was always his own,” brings those same happy feelings.
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