Ode to the Onion by Pablo Neruda

"Ode to the Onion" by Pablo Neruda

What is an ODE?

Read Lines 1 - 7.

• 1   Onion,

  2   luminous flask,

  3   your beauty formed

  4   petal by petal,

  5   crystal scales expanded you

  6   and in the secrecy of the dark earth

  7   your belly grew round with dew.

• In the context of the poem, what is a "luminous flask"?

Multiple Choice

The "luminous flask" is formed "petal by petal" in the "secrecy of the dark earth" Choose the best synonym for the word "flask" based on the context of the poem.

• bottle

• container

• thermos

Read lines 11 - 13.

11 ...your clumsy

12 green stem appeared,

13 and your leaves were born.

Multiple Choice

Neruda uses the words "clumsy" and "born" to describe the stem and leaves of the onion. What is the type of Figurative Language Neruda is using?

• metaphor

• hyperbole

• simile

• personification

Read lines 23 - 26. Determine the Figurative Language.

23 onion

24 clear as a planet

25 and destined

26 to shine,

Multiple Choice

23 onion

24 clear as a planet

25 and destined

26 to shine,

What type of figurative language is being used in the lines above?

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

• personification

Read lines 27 - 31. Analyze the imagery.

27 constant constellation,

28 round rose of water,

29 upon

30 the table

31 of the poor.

Multiple Choice

In line 28 - 31, Neruda calls the onion a "round rose of water/upon/the table/of the poor". These lines are an example of what type of figurative language?

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

• personification

The onion is a "round rose of water upon the table of the poor".

In these lines, what does Neruda IMPLY about poor people?

Multiple Select

Re-read these lines:

28 round rose of water,

29 upon

30 the table

31 of the poor.

What does Neruda IMPLY about roses in the above metaphor?

• Roses and onions are equally valuable and beautiful.

• Roses are too nice for an ordinary person's table.

• Onions and roses both need water to look beautiful.

Read this example of personification:

32 You make us cry without hurting us.

Poll

Have you ever cried while cutting an onion?

• yes

• no

• I have never cut an onion.

Read the HYPERBOLE below:

33 I have praised everything that exists,

34 but to me, onion, you are

35 more beautiful than a bird

36 of dazzling feathers,

Multiple Choice

Read the hyperbole below:

33 I have praised everything that exists,

34 but to me, onion, you are

35 more beautiful than a bird

36 of dazzling feathers

What phrase best explains the hyperbole?

• An onion is really nice to look at.

• An onion has the ability to fly.

• An onion is an extraordinary living thing.

An Onion is, according to the poet, a

 37 ...platinum goblet

Multiple Choice

What type of figurative language is the the following line: [An onion is a] "platinum goblet" (37).

• simile

• metaphor

• personification

• hyperbole

[An onion is a] "platinum goblet" (37).

Why does Neruda choose "platinum" (and not gold) as the word to show the value of an onion?

Read the metaphor below:

[Onion, you are an] unmoving dance

of the snowy anemone" (38 - 39).

Multiple Choice

Read the line: [Onion, you are an] unmoving dance

of the snowy anemone" (38 - 39). In this line, what color is the anemone?

• green

• blue

• pink

• white

^{What does the anemone have in common with the onion?}

• [Anemones] have stinging cells which they use... to protect themselves against predators.

• Sometimes called the 'flowers of the sea'

• beautiful animals, closely related to jellyfish and corals

Read the last two lines of the poem:

40 and the fragrance of the earth lives

41 in your crystalline nature.

Poll

I love the smell of onions!

• true

• false

• I am not sure.

How does an onion meet the definition of "crystalline"?

• in the form of crystals or contains crystals

• means clear or bright

• like crystal; clear and transparent

•  having the structure of a crystal

Multiple Choice

Onions have a "crystalline nature" and they hold the "fragrance of the earth". What other object did Neruda use in the poem to show the reader the true value the onion contains?

• feathers

• a platinum goblet

• a rose

• a sea anemone

• all of the above

Poll

After reading this "Ode to the Onion" by Pablo Neruda, I now appreciate the onion!

• true

• false

• maybe a little

Poll

What EVERYDAY object would you write an ODE about?

• a desk

• a computer

• a door

• a toilet!