Essay Questions

Why might Alice Oswald have dedicated so much of her poetic writings to plants and wildlife?

From this collection of poetry, it is clear that Oswald found great beauty in the simplicity and variety of flowers and plants. Each of Oswald’s poem only focuses on a specific type of plants or flower and this decision was clearly purposeful. In these poems, Oswald personifies these flowers using human characteristics and experiences. Each plant, therefore, has a distinct personality and series of experiences. Therefore, it is clear that Oswald viewed each plant as unique and as having its own distinct personality. She may, therefore, have chosen to dedicate much of her poetic works to wildlife due to the fact that she wanted to explore this individuality among nature.

How does Alice Oswald use plants and flowers to tell stories about the human condition?

Oswald purposefully dedicates each poem to a single flower or plant. Each flower that Oswald personifies has its own personality and distinct set of characteristics. In “Lily of the Valley,” for example, Oswald personifies the lily of the valley as an elderly woman who has finally settled into the final period of her life. Similarly, in “Primrose,” Oswald follows the life cycle of a primrose plant over the course of April. During this month, the plant is born, transitions through its many stages of life, and then eventually wilts and dies. In this way, “Primrose” is a commentary on the cycle of life for humans. Therefore, Oswald’s poems personify flowers and detail emotional and genuine experiences that capture the human condition.

Explain the significance of the ending verses of Oswald’s “Primrose.” Why did Oswald dedicate the concluding stanza to the flower’s death?

In this poem, Oswald describes the life cycle of a primrose plant. This life cycle is reflective of the life cycle of humans and captures the transitions humans will experience through their different stages and chapters of life. The entire final stanza of “Primrose” follows the flower as it wilts, crumbles, and eventually dies. Though this is a sorrowful experience, the flower does not pity itself. Rather, it accepts death gracefully and commits to it. In this way, Oswald uses this final stanza as a commentary on the inevitability of death. She suggests that, much like the primrose, we should all be practical about death and accept it with grace and ease.