Basket of Figs Essay Questions

What does the use of imperatives accomplish in the poem?

An imperative expresses a demand, request, instruction, or invitation. In "Basket of Figs," the speaker uses imperatives to instruct her lover to share her pain: "Bring me your pain, love. Spread / it out...," "Show me," "Unclasp it," and "Empty / your basket of figs. Spill your wine." These imperatives communicate a confidence on the part of the speaker. While this confidence does not diminish in the final two stanzas, it is interesting to note that the speaker switches from imperatives to the anaphora "I would." This implies that both the lover and the speaker must be active in their intimacy. In interviews, Ellen Bass has stated a belief that it is not enough to just be receptive to love and joy; one must actively insist upon it. The speaker insists on love and joy in her relationship by inviting her partner to be vulnerable.

Describe the title. Why might the poem be called "Basket of Figs?"

The poem's title also recurs in the poem itself, in the lines "Empty / your basket of figs." Here, the speaker instructs her lover to consume an entire basket of the sweet fruit. The command to "empty" the basket is a command to appreciate the present moment and satisfy one's appetite. Figs represent abundance, prosperity, and fertility, and the speaker wants her lover to relish the fruits. As figs are typically available during the summer and fall months, many people associate them with this time of sunshine and harvest. The title "Basket of Figs" evokes a visual and gustatory image, and establishes the context that the lover's pain (introduced in the first line of the poem) is not something that the speaker criticizes in the poem.

Describe the metaphors Bass uses to depict pain in the poem.

Rather than portray pain in negative terms, Bass compares pain to fine materials, spices, and comfort foods in the poem. In the first stanza, the speaker compares her lover's pain to fine rugs, silk sashes, warm eggs, and cinnamon and cloves in burlap sacks. These descriptions address all of the senses and give a sense of luxurious comfort. In the second stanza, the speaker compares her partner's pain to hand-stitched embroidery. This characterizes pain as an intricate creation that the lover herself had a hand in making. With this description, Bass manages to suggest people's capacity for agency without invalidating the experience of pain. In the third stanza, the speaker compares her lover's pain to gold jewelry that is still warm from being worn. This expresses the unconditional love the speaker feels for her partner; even the partner's pain is considered beautiful. However, jewelry can be unclasped and taken off, and this is what the speaker invites her partner to do. In the fourth stanza, the pain is described as a "hard nugget" and as a pomegranate seed that the speaker offers to suck on. This demonstrates the heart of what the speaker is offering her partner: a chance for transformation. Through being vulnerable and sharing her pain, the partner can feel the speaker's love and support.

Just as the speaker provides instructions to her lover, Bass's approach to describing pain using positive sensual metaphors provides the reader instruction on a different way to approach pain, love, and relationships. In the poem, the speaker loves her partner to such a degree that even her partner's pain is beautiful. The speaker is confident that she can hold space for her partner to share all her pain, and that this loving care will transform the pain and bring the couple closer.