Galway Kinnel’s Sound in Eating Blackberry

In his poem “Blackberry Eating” Galway Kinnel uses the sound and rhythm of each line to reflect the motion of a woman eating blackberry soundly, and then swallowing smoothly.  Especially when read aloud, “to eat blackberries for breakfast, the stalks very prickly, a penalty” (4-6) create a sense of the woman’s chewing in her mouth, slowly and soundly, which shows how delicious the blackberries are and she really enjoy eating them when he was working.

                The first stanza is constructed to depict how the manwho loves to eat blackberries, especially passionate to wait for the month when the blackberries ripe.  He can not wait to eat blackberries for breakfast, and blackberries make him feel comfortable and peace.  Even though it is hard to grab them because of its stalk, he is still enjoy it after trying to get it.  He depicts: “I love to go out in late September, among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries” (1-2).

                  The second stanza is built to describe how the man loves to write poems, especially when he eats blackberries.  His words will easy to produce after he eats blackberries, or it is easy to create sentences while blackberries accompany him.  He describes, “many lettered, one syllabled lumps, which I squeeze, quench open, and splurge well”  (11-12).  Here, he shows that without blackberries his words hard to construct, his idea is stuck.  But, when he eats blackberries, his job is running smoothly as smooth as he is eating the blackberries.