Saying that the boy hung on "like" death is an example of a simile. Line 4 Such waltzing was not easy. This line wraps up the first stanza. In what could be a happy moment, father and son dancing, we see that it's kind of tricky for the son to hold on to his drunken father. Also, if the waltz of this poem is a metaphor for their father-son relationship, this could show that it's not easy to dance between loving and fearing his father's power Lines 5-6 We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; This is not a quiet, stately waltz, but a romp!
We can tell that the writer resents and is frustrated by his father as it says “and he being him can’t help but say.......... and I, being me” which shows that he is frustrated at their relationship. However the Harmonium is used to describe his father so therefore his family life whereas in Nettles it is reversed. The Nettles, that had caused pain for the boy, is actually describing soldiers and war therefore the underlying message is not about family but about war and the underlying message
The language and phrasing makes the poem seem strong and abrasive. For example the son is described to cling to his father “like death”. This reflects a negative sentence when really the son is holding to his father as to not fall to the ground when his father dances around the kitchen. I reasoned that there was a strong relationship between them. It is also important to note that the father had been drinking.
Now this is the side of the story that I see, and the theme for this said would be the importance of family. This could be the theme for this subject because in the poem the boy seems to truly enjoy the horse play with his father, as it says in the poem “Then waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt” (15-16), which shows he wants to keep playing and not go to bed. The other theme/subject is a little darker, where it seems that a drunken father comes home late one night to beat on his son. The theme for this subject is simple, “Abuse”, as this shows a young boy being beat. An example of this in the poem is when it says, “The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle” (9-10), which shows the boy is being beat.
Response Paper In Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “Crying Poem”, he describes how he wasn’t allowed to cry when he was little because it showed weakness. However, as much as Baca was not allowed to cry he wanted to. He explains how his father used to get mad at him when he felt like crying when he says, “my dad yelled me not to cry, I was terrified, almost killed – but don’t cry, he said”. Jimmy was scared to cry because he would get another beating from his father just like the one he got when he was eight years old. Baca mentions how he felt about not being able to cry when he says, “I want to untie my hands like a tired boxers gloves and lay them down on the table, gripped in their tight clench of defense, and I want to grow new hands open flowers, moistened by my tears”.
Correspondingly, through a conceit in its title, Nettles is a poem about a boy who has fallen into a nettle bed and seeks comfort from his father. Out of anger, the father destroys the nettles only to discover they grow back again. Through this conceit, Scannell is able to demonstrate that saving another human from pain is futile. In doing so, the poet makes the readers ask: do we think of inevitability in our actions and also, how much pain we can control. We see fragmentation in their respective relationships through the structure.
How the child is being held by the wrist demonstrates the father’s dominate characteristic as well as aggressiveness towards his son. Also, the knuckle being battered shows the violent behavior of the father. The poetic devices used in the poem can then connect to the understanding of the child’s need to hang on like death then continue to be mistreated by the violent father. The poems style can also contribute to the child abuse in the poem by mood and diction. An example of mood found in the poem is, “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy;” (Stanza 1 Lines 1-2).
Sister Maude and Brothers 'Brothers ' explores the relationship between siblings and the way in which time inevitably, and regrettably, separates them. There is affection between the brothers, particularly in the adoration of the younger boy. This poem is about a boy spending an afternoon with his younger brother and his friend, and explores the relationship between siblings. It is written from an adult perspective but considers the feelings of the older brother who thinks of his younger brother as an inconvenience. In 'Sister Maude' a much more destructive relationship between siblings is presented.
Within Steven Herrick’s book “The Simple Gift” and I will discuss with you aspects of belonging in terms of experiences, identity, relationships and acceptance and understanding. Through out Steven Herrick’s book we explore the elements of belonging and acceptance through the ‘pain and suffering’ and ‘suffering’ of rejection. Billy, sixteen years of age adventures into the world; leaving home on his own decision. Billy reveals himself as a reject, a thief, and a troubled character that rejected a strict irrelevant education system. The cause of this appears to be physical and emotional abuse from his father and lack of caring from his school.
“My Papa’s Waltz” The vagueness of “My Papa’s Waltz” makes it difficult to be certain what it is about. Some might argue that the poem is a tale of child abuse, but it is more likely telling the story of a father and son’s horseplay. “The whiskey on your breathe could make a small boy dizzy.” This line doesn’t refer to the father as being stumbling drunk. Many people have an evening drink without getting drunk. “But I hung on you like death.” The boy holds on like his life depends on it because he is having so much fun, not because he is terrified as it may seem.