“Substitutions” is a poem written by Adrienne Su and presents various swaps for ingredients, abstracts, synopsis, and geographical aspects, thus the name substitutions. Ideally, substitution refers to the act of replacing one thing or person with another thing that may serve the same or different purpose. Adrienne has highlighted a special character called the noodle man, with the poem containing several swaps for the ingredients he uses for recipe. Adrienne is an American native studying in China and thus offers numerous comparisons between the two cultures in the entire poem. The poem is structured uniquely, with ten stanzas. Each stanza has two lines, with most of the lines having two sections separated by a comma. In terms of figurative language, Adrienne has greatly used a rhyme scheme. A rhyme scheme is a structure in a poem where the pattern of sounds in the poem recurs at the finish of a line or stanza. Most words in this poem rhyme, making it rhythmical and easy to recite. Some of the rhyming words are hands and bands (3, 4), ham and man (11, 12), and crave and grave (19, 20).
The first line in the first stanza starts with the word “Balsamic”, an American ingredient that is a substitute for a Chinese ingredient called Zhenjiang in the second part of the line(1). The two different words are separated with commas, with the first word being American and the second one Chinese. The American terms are used on the left while the Chinese words are on the right. The other subsequent stanzas also provide a substitute for something with for showing that the two words can be swapped together and used to explain the same meaning. The arrangement of the stanzas follows the same pattern up to the fourth stanza, which makes the poem rhythmical. Apart from the American and Chinese words, other random words have been used in between that are not ingredients. These are words like letters, a baby’s room, passing cars, and lawnmower buzzing. Words that have been used to represent ingredients or items in the recipe are Cuisinart, Pettty burglars, and Virginia ham (11).
The flow of the poem shows that Adrienne Su is trying to compare two diverse but similar cultures. Culture refers to the people’s way of life and Adrienne uses different words to describe the two cultures, American and Chinese. The substitution of words is developed to bring out different meanings because using the same words for the two cultures may mean a different thing for every culture. For example; “A baby’s room, for tight quarters” is a line that is used to show that the baby’s room is used in the place of tight quarters (5). The same case is clear in the fourth line, “Petty burglars, for warring bands” (4). The poet uses warring bands in the place of petty burglars. This means that there is a strange comparison between objects, situations, and occurrences that do not imply the real meaning. Ideally, this is presented in stanza five where Adrienne states that the information is for the children who overhear the language and those who speak it (9, 10).
Adrienne introduces the noodle man and the materials he carries in the basket in the last five stanzas. These materials are important in the preparation of the Chinese recipes and she describes the aroma and flavor of the meal he prepares in stanzas nine and ten. “Where the customer happens to be, the balance of hot, sour, salty, sweet, which decades later you still crave, a formula he’ll take to the grave” ( 17,18,19,20). Adrenaline’s conclusion on the similarities of the cultures has happened to most of us at some point in life. For example, almost everyone has experienced what is written in stanza ten about people having certain meals they love that are prepared by specific food sellers (19). Sadly, most food vendors do not disclose the recipes they use as a way of attracting customers again to their stores. The last line in stanza ten explains better, “a formula he’ll take to the grave” (20). Adrienne talks about the noodles man who never shared his recipe with anyone and has a likelihood of taking it to the grave.
In conclusion, Adrienne has developed the poem remarkably, which makes it easy for people to associate with it, more specifically if they are conversant with both the American and Chinese cultures or either of them. Lilting the substitute words in the same line makes it easy to understand what is being explained without seeking further understanding in the succeeding stanzas. Searching for their meanings in other stanzas would interfere with the flow of the reader as well as demotivate them to continue reading. The substitutes of words have also been expressed in a clear way that is simple for the reader to read the poet’s words.
Reference
Su, Adrienne. “Substitutions”; “That Almond Dessert.” New England Review 38, no. 1 (2017): 86-87.
write