Question

Can someone help me Explain the central theme of "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now." How is this theme developed over the course of the poem? Provide specific examples from the poem to support your response.

Answer 1

The poem sees the speaker reflecting on the fact that, at twenty years of age, he only has fifty of his threescore years and ten (i.e. seventy years, which the Bible states as the average length of a man’s life) remaining. Because time is short, the speaker announces that he will appreciate the cherry blossom while he’s around to do so.

Answer 2

The main theme in this poem is brevity of life.

Step-by-step explanation:

The writer wants to show how short life is, comparing it with the beauty of nature. He decides to enjoy his life from now on, because he is conscious it is beautiful and short as the trees. Throughout the poem he uses the trees to show the different stages of the life. For example at the beginning of the poem he uses an image from a cherry tree in bloom, which suggests the beauty of life and its importance.