Pineapples and Pomegranates

What are the motifs in Pineapples and Pomegranates by Paul Muldoon?

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

Throughout the last six lines of the poem, words mutate or change, as the speaker free associates from one idea to another. This happens first with the shift from "munificence" to "munitions" in line 9. Although the words sound similar and share the first four letters, they bear very different meanings, as "munificence" refers to generosity and "munitions" refer to explosives. By juxtaposing these words, Muldoon emphasizes the mutability of words, and the idea that words, ideas, and perhaps even things can shift with startling ease.