Question
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.
Li-Young Lee, "From Blossoms," from Rose. Copyright © 1986 by Li-Young Lee. Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on behalf of BOA Editions, Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under theCC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Notes
AllDefinitionsFootnotes
loaded with something heavy, carrying a lot of weight
a main branch of a tree
Fellowship (noun) : the company of equals or friends
Succulent (adjective) : juicy flavor, full of juice
great joy, triumph, or satisfaction
Read Aloud
Annotate
Translate
Assessment Questions
Show Less
1
2
3
4
5
PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. "peaches / we bought from the boy / at the bend in the road where we turned toward / signs painted Peaches" (Lines 2-5)
B. "From laden boughs, from hands, / from sweet fellowship in the bins, / comes nectar at the roadside" (Lines 6-8)
C. "O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard" (Lines 11-12)
D. "There are days we live / as if death were nowhere" (Lines 17-18)
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.
Li-Young Lee, "From Blossoms," from Rose. Copyright © 1986 by Li-Young Lee. Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on behalf of BOA Editions, Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under theCC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Notes
AllDefinitionsFootnotes
loaded with something heavy, carrying a lot of weight
a main branch of a tree
Fellowship (noun) : the company of equals or friends
Succulent (adjective) : juicy flavor, full of juice
great joy, triumph, or satisfaction
Read Aloud
Annotate
Translate
Assessment Questions
Show Less
1
2
3
4
5
PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. "peaches / we bought from the boy / at the bend in the road where we turned toward / signs painted Peaches" (Lines 2-5)
B. "From laden boughs, from hands, / from sweet fellowship in the bins, / comes nectar at the roadside" (Lines 6-8)
C. "O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard" (Lines 11-12)
D. "There are days we live / as if death were nowhere" (Lines 17-18)
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine the best answer to Part A, we first need to understand what Part A is asking, and how it relates to the overall themes in Li-Young Lee's poem "From Blossoms." This poem reflects on themes of joy, love, and the relationship between life and death through the imagery of peaches and nature.
Given the options in Part B, here’s a breakdown of possible answers:
A. This quote highlights the act of purchasing peaches, emphasizing a physical and tangible experience that could evoke nostalgia or connection to nature, but it doesn’t fully capture the deeper emotional themes of carrying love or joy within oneself.
B. This quote describes the origins of the peaches, sourcing them from "laden boughs" and "sweet fellowship," which emphasizes community and interconnectedness, but might not encapsulate the essence of internalizing joy as discussed in the poem.
C. This quote expresses the desire to internalize and carry the beauty of nature and love within oneself. It aligns with the theme of cherishing experiences and emotions, making it a strong contender.
D. This quote suggests living with joy and a lack of awareness of mortality. It speaks to the theme of enjoying life piecemeal but doesn’t reflect the act of internalization as directly as option C.
Given this analysis, the quote that best supports the themes discussed in Part A regarding internalizing love and joy is:
**C. "O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard" (Lines 11-12)**.
This line captures the essence of the poem's message about embracing love and joy through our experiences with the peaches.
Given the options in Part B, here’s a breakdown of possible answers:
A. This quote highlights the act of purchasing peaches, emphasizing a physical and tangible experience that could evoke nostalgia or connection to nature, but it doesn’t fully capture the deeper emotional themes of carrying love or joy within oneself.
B. This quote describes the origins of the peaches, sourcing them from "laden boughs" and "sweet fellowship," which emphasizes community and interconnectedness, but might not encapsulate the essence of internalizing joy as discussed in the poem.
C. This quote expresses the desire to internalize and carry the beauty of nature and love within oneself. It aligns with the theme of cherishing experiences and emotions, making it a strong contender.
D. This quote suggests living with joy and a lack of awareness of mortality. It speaks to the theme of enjoying life piecemeal but doesn’t reflect the act of internalization as directly as option C.
Given this analysis, the quote that best supports the themes discussed in Part A regarding internalizing love and joy is:
**C. "O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard" (Lines 11-12)**.
This line captures the essence of the poem's message about embracing love and joy through our experiences with the peaches.