A Son's Rebirth

I'm not very good at putting symbols explaining symbols, but I usually have a feeling what the symbol stands for in the poem. In "Planting a Sequia" I feel that there are a few aspects of life that the tree is a symbol for. I think the chief symbol in the poem is that of a father burying a sequia seed with "a lock of hair, a piece of an infant's birth cord," and in a way the father is burying his son. By taking the those emblem's of his and combining them with the seed, the father is giving his lost infant a chance for new life, a life that will grow tall and strong and will span many years, and I also believe that is why the father chose a sequia. The father's action of burying the seed in a time of death is contrasted with of a tradition in Sicily where "a father plants a tree to celebrate his first son's birth." For the father in the poem, he is planting the tree to give his son a rebirth. The earth will become the new womb for his son.

The father speaks to the sequia seed because it is the new vessel for his son. So he is essentially speaking to his son. The father is telling his son that they will still be there to care and nurtur him as he grows. The see Any other perspective or voice would not work in this poem. The emotion and the powerful symbolism of the tree would be lost.

I also wondered what happened to the father's infant, if all he had was a lock of hair and a piece of birth cord to bury.

As I looked at the poem closer and thought about the tree and the infant son, I made more connections and felt the power of symbolism. I believe that if symbolism hadn't been used, and the poem was written with a direct display of emotions, the poem would have been in danger of becoming over sentimental. The way symbolism is used in this poem, there is a depth of emotion that lets us feel with the father. It's a very moving poem and it was a strong demonstration of the use of symbolism.