Summary/introduction
The persona, who has been poor and ‘hungry’ for years, finally gets to experience a coveted meal in what is impliedly an upmarket restaurant. However, the persona finds the experience of the ‘ample bread’ to be ‘ill and odd’ and thus reflects on the way that we may often covet something which, once we receive it, disappoints us. The contrast between the persona’s initial cravings and their subsequent disappointment shows the way in which we may wish to belong to a social class or social group, but ultimately find that it is incongruous with our true selves. Furthermore, it appears that there may be a comment about the importance of belonging versus the superficial satisfaction of our wants. We may desire wealth and riches, but it’s the sense of connection to others and the community in which we live which is what we truly seek.
Stanza 1
o The state of being ‘hungry’ is a metaphor for the persona’s lack of belonging in their initial social class and their desire to belong to another, more wealthy, class.
o The verb ‘trembling’ may indicate the apprehension we feel when we relinquish our previous connections and attempt to start them anew.
o The adjective ‘curious’ suggests that the wine is unfamiliar and novel and thus underscores the way the persona does not really feel a sense of belonging to the new environment. ‘Curious’ wine – because it is strange and unfamiliar.
o The use of the first person gives insights into the persona’s feelings and emotions about her new experience. It seems significant that the persona ‘drew the table near’ as this shows the persona is actively seeking to connect with her new environment.
Stanza 2
o The imagery of ‘turning, hungry, lone’ conveys the persona’s lack of belonging. The hyperbole in ‘I could not hope to own’ shows at once how distant is the prospect of belonging to this social class. This comments on the way that not belonging can often be a vicious cycle. That is, we may feel so disconnected from say a social class that it leads to an attitude that we will never belong to it. This attitude then leads us to take actions which prevent us from ever belonging.
o The window is a barrier between the persona and the world they want to inhabit. It is a metaphor for the way that social forces such as wealth, education and personal networks may prevent us from attaining a stronger sense of belonging.
Stanza 3
o The persona expresses how the ‘ample bread’ was qualitatively different to the ‘crumb’ and this suggests the way in which our ideas about belonging can often contradict our experience. That is, we may think that attaining a certain amount of wealth will lead to a greater sense of belonging and acceptance but find that in reality excessive material wealth does not necessarily lead to a greater sense of inner belonging and may in fact hinder it.
o The juxtaposition of ‘ample bread’ and ‘crumb’ highlights how different the persona’s two worlds are.
o ‘The birds and I’ demonstrates the persona is beginning to understand the connections and sense of belonging she had in her previous social class. It also demonstrates that the persona has a connection and sense of belonging to nature. Perhaps the simplicity of ‘Nature’s dining room’ is compensated by camaraderie and companionship.
o The persona shares the crumb with nature – suggesting that she finds a sense of belonging in that act of sharing. It’s that sense of connection and community that she experienced with nature that she lacks in the restaurant, even though the food is ample.
o The metaphor of Nature’s dining room underscores the persona’s belonging to nature. The personification of Nature as a provider and nurturer underscores the close connection to nature.
Stanza 4
o It’s the plenty that hurts the persona. She feels ‘ill and odd.’ This shows how a feeling of alienation can be detrimental to our mental and physical health.
o This idea is continued through the metaphor of the ‘berry of a mountain bush’ being separated from its natural environment. The harsh, unnatural and barren road will ultimately destroy the berry. The contrast between the soft, succulent and juicy berry with the hard, dry and rough road accentuates how harmful lack of belonging can be.
o ‘Transplanted’ is a non-natural intervention and not a result of natural consequences. In other words, the persona feels as though he/she has been grafted into circumstances that feel uncomfortable and foreign.
Stanza 5
o ‘Nor was I hungry.’ The persona realises that she can never obtain a sense of belonging from only material wealth or social class/status. Indeed, these words seem to suggest that the persona has discovered an internal sense of belonging to herself, which is independent of the material world. Once the internal sense of belonging has been met, the desire to try and substitute this belonging with external possessions diminishes markedly.
o Furthermore, we may never realise how much we belong to a certain group or way of life until we are removed from that way of life.
o There is an irony in the last line ‘the entering takes away.’ The entering reduces hunger not because the food nourishes the person or sates their hunger. Rather, it leads to the understanding that the food (material wealth) can never satisfy our hunger and we are free to discover a more genuine, internal sense of belonging.
o That is, when we can eliminate material wealth as a source of belonging, we are free to discover where it truly lies. Yet again in other words, it is not so much that material wealth per se that hinders belonging. Rather, it is the desire for material wealth and the expectation that material wealth alone will provide belonging that actually prevents us from belonging to ourselves. In short, the poem suggests that many of us look for belonging in all the wrong places!
Links to belonging
1. Belonging to social class
o The persona initially feels disconnected to her social class and desires to belong to a more wealthy class. The metaphor of the window shows how social barriers often prevent this transition. Somehow, the persona overcomes these barriers and experiences the ‘curious wine’, only to find that instead of providing the belonging the persona sought, the new social class makes her feel isolated.
o The ‘ample bread’ is positively harmful because the persona realises that she no longer feels the connection to nature and to the simple life that she once lived. The metaphor of the berry being ‘transplanted’ to the road conveys the sense of alienation and disconnection the persona feels in this world.
2. Belonging to self
o The persona realises that desire and ‘hunger’ for more can actually hinder belonging. At first, the persona believes that entering another social class will be satisfying. Ironically, far from satisfying the persona, the experience leads to an understanding that seeking belonging in externalities can actually lead to alienation.
o From my perspective, the poem shows the way that true belonging comes from personal integrity and strength of character. Incidentally, these characteristics are likely to lead to material success anyway. The key is that in this approach material wealth is a pleasant side-effect, rather than an end in itself.
