Pineapples and Pomegranates

What is the author's style in Pineapples and Pomegranates by Paul Muldoon?

Asked by
Last updated by Cat
1 Answers
Log in to answer

Muldoon is known for his unusual use of rhyme and pairings of similar sounding but very different words. In this poem, similar sounding words mutate so that "munificence" becomes "munitions," "pineapples" slides into "pomegranates," and the last two syllables of "pomegranates" also echo "grenade" from an earlier line. This highlighting of the slippery quality of words reinforces the ideas of mutability or how things change, particularly from positive associations in "pineapple" and "munificence" to violent or ominous ones in "pomegranates" and "munitions."