Summary Of O Taste And See By Denise Levertov

The other way to understand a poem is to understand how word choice could shape the meaning of of it. If students get the importance of the vocabulary in poem, they would somehow understand the writer’s same point of view. This idea could be seen in “O Taste and See” by Denise Levertov. Levertov writes this poem describe how beautiful the creation of this world is and encourage people to enjoy their life. The implication the poem is “O taste and see that the Lord is good” to explain that one can truly know or appreciate God by experiencing his or her life. The poem tells readers to taste and see “all that lives/ to the imagination’s tongue (Levertov 1066).” Then using words: “grief, mercy, language,/tangerine, weather, to/ breathe them, bite/ savor, chew, swallow, transform// into our flesh our/ deaths, crossing the street, plum, quince” to explain the concrete, abstract, emotional, spiritual, physical, aesthetic, and richly sensuous (Levertov 1066).

If students understand that each word is purposely used to convey the idea of the writer, they would understand the message that the poem carries. As they understand the poem, they can create the meaning of it. Students would think that Levertov writes “O Taste and See” to encourage people to appreciate every single moment of being alive. People tend to think of life as the passage of days, weeks, years, and decades, instead of moments. Reading this poem could make one ask himself or herself that: As one reflect on his/her day, what moments stand out the most? Is it the stress of trying to do it