Second Fig Group Discussion Questions
Biography
- Born in 1892
- Graduated from Vassar College and lived in New York afterwards
- Feminist, Suffragist, and Bisexual
Second Fig originally published in A Few Figs From Thistles (1920)
Religious Symbolism
- Fig trees are a prominent aspect of Genesis. Adam & Eve fashioned their clothes out of a fig tree after eating the forbidden fruit
- Figs are also prominent in Matthew and Jeremiah
- Life is built on a solid rock (Jesus) and not on sand (secular world)
- Rocks and sand represent risks
- Living versus security
- "Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand"-->Luke 13:6--9 A vine keeper holds out hope that a barren fig tree will bear fruit next year.
- "Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!"-->Matthew 24:32--36, Mark 13:28--32, Luke 21:29--33
- Mocking people who take pride in possessions
- Poem also references Matthew 7:24-27 and the story of the two builders...
Sexual Symbolism
- Figs are also associated with sexuality...nourishment, abundance, and procreation
- Beauty is sand...it doesn't last
- Morals are the ugly house on the rock. They are the ugly truth which stands the test of time
References Elsewhere
- Virtue---A Fig! (Othello)
Questions?
- Is it better to have loved briefly than lived a normal, passionless, pain free life?
- Happy less time than a general contentness
- Could this be a metaphor for class systems?
- Solid, ugly house=Upper class
- They don't make their own house, so no pride in it
- Is this story a metaphor for federal government spending (FEMA)
Jefferson pg23
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.