Where I’m From
By George Ella Lyon
i am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush,
the Dutch elm
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.i am from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I’m from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from perk up and pipe down.
I’m from He restoreth my soul
with cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.I’m from Artemus and Billie’s Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures.
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments —
snapped before I budded –
leaf-fall from the family tree.
Summary of Where I’m From
- Popularity of “Where I’m From”: Written in 1999, “Where I am From” is a reflective poem. George Ella Lyon explores familiar themes of identity, belonging, and family in this poem. The poem gives a chance to everyone to pinpoint precisely where they have come from and what qualities make them unique. Since its first appearance, it has been added to various curricula globally, adding more to its fame.
- “Where I’m From” As a Representative of Identity: This poem is about how our identity is established in the world. The poem begins with descriptions of domestic objects; each one shows a connection to the speaker’s past. The start of the poem depicts that the speaker is the product of the household interior and nature. She discusses how people were sharing the same house and used to help each other. Besides, religion also played a pivotal role in her upbringing. The second stanza comprises religious references from the Old Testament that help the speaker expand her ideas. Also, there are references of small joys, work losses, and the extended family tree that bore her into this world. Thus, the poem recollects memories from the speaker’s past for a better understanding of her actual identity.
- Major Themes in “Where I’m From”: Identity, belonging, culture, and recognition are the major themes of the poem. This simple yet meaningful poem shows what constitutes our identity in the world. Instead of glorifying her life, the poet records the factual description of her past. She brilliantly explains how she used to share household responsibilities and enjoy the bliss of nature during her childhood. She looks deeply into her past and describes what makes her unique. While doing so, she catalogs things that stick out and play a vital role in her growth and development. In other words, she tries to convey that no matter how far we go in life, we always find ourselves attached to our roots.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Where I’m From
literary devices make simple texts meaningful and unique. George Ella Lyon uses several literary devices in the poem, whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “the eye my father shut to keep his sight” and the sound of /o/ in “from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /b/ in “and Billie’s Branch.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. George Ella Lyon has repeated the word “I am from” throughout the poem to emphasize the point, such as;
“I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush.”
- Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. Lyon used allusions to places and families such as Duch elm, and Artemus and Billie.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /p/ in “from perk up and pipe down” and the sound of /t/ in “the eye my father shut to keep his sight.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“I am from the forsythia bush,
the Dutch elm
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. George Ella Lyon used imagery in this poem such as; “I am from the dirt under the back porch”, “I’m from He restoreth my soul” and “I am from those moments.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet used identity as an extended metaphor to show how different elements constitute our identity.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as identity, family, responsibility, religion, and culture to point out who we are.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Where I’m From
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism and impressive images.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the verse “I am from” which has created a musical quality in the poem.
- Refrain: The lines that are repeated at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The verse “I am from” has become a refrain as it has been repeated in all stanzas of the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are three stanzas in this poem with each having a different number of verses.
Quote to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the extended family tree and spotting one’s place in it.
“I am from those moments —
snapped before I budded —
leaf-fall from the family tree.”