Symbolism and Destructive Attitudes in "Genus Narcissus" Anonymous 12th Grade

Finding and picking a flower may be a plain and straightforward task for many, but Natasha Trethewey suggests a deeper consequence in her poem “Genus Narcissus.” Trethewey employs the many different metaphors of a daffodil in tracking the development of a girl through her childish beliefs and into adulthood. Trethewey describes the delusional foolishness of the narrator as a child by using an optimistic, lively, and clueless tone, and later her realization of her past narcissism through a pessimistic and gloomy tone. By creating a symbolic story about capturing daffodils, she asserts that the narrator was selfish towards her mother and only felt self-pride, and ultimately depicts the destructive nature of a narcissistic attitude.

Trethewey begins by establishing the daffodils as vibrant and attractive, a contrast to the stark environment that it is found in. The narrator begins by describing the environment as “dense with trees and shadow, creek-side.” The precise diction of “dense” refers not only to the sheer volume of trees that are on the road but also adds meaning to the tone of the first stanza overall. As dense also means physically heavy, it sets the preliminary tone of the poem as one that is heavy, gloomy, and somber....