Harmonium and Nettles Harmonium and Nettles both highlight the theme of memory. As they both are looking back over past memories that are painful, the poems feature the feelings of being helpless in stopping the hurt that was caused. The writer in Harmonium feels remorse for the things he hadn’t said to his father as Armitage states “then mouth in reply some shallow sorry phrase or word too starved of breath to make itself heard”. The writer in Nettles is protective of the recurring threat to his child that he can’t destroy. “rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed,” this quote shows the father cannot destroy them .They differ in the way they felt powerless however as in Nettles the father is feeling powerless because of a physical threat whereas in Harmonium it is an emotional threat of the inevibility of death and unspoken feelings that makes the writer feel powerless.
He arrives at Mr Tom's house thinly clad, underfed and covered with painful bruises, and believing he is full of sin, as he has been brought up by a mother who regularly lashed him with a belt and was extremely religious, with strong opinions such as that people who copy go to hell when they die. However, Mr Tom, as Willie calls him, does not punish William as his mother did. In fact, Mr Tom seems to understand him, as he has never been known before. Even though Willie wets the bed for some time after he moves into the house, Mr Tom does not remonstrate him. Mr Tom and Willie just change the bedding without complaint.
“My Papa’s Waltz” is a magnificent short poem, with great tone and use of symbolism that also displays more than one example of theme. “My Papa’s Waltz” shows a young boy that either really loves or hates his father, depending on which theme you’re thinking of. As mentioned earlier there is more than just once theme in this poem, which makes this such an interesting poem. One way to look at this poem is where a hardworking father and his son are simply just horse playing, and wrestling around the house late one weekend night. Now this is the side of the story that I see, and the theme for this said would be the importance of family.
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).
But we don't think he's actually there with the boy because, after all, we hear nothing back from the man. Instead, his son is probably just thinking about talking to him. Line 3 But I hung on like death: This line indicates that the whiskey is indeed making our speaker quite dizzy, because he has to hang on like death, perhaps the one thing that hangs on to us all. Using the word "death" so early in the poem clues the reader in that this poem isn't just a happy memory – it's also haunted. Saying that the boy hung on "like" death is an example of a simile.
In the beginning of the story, Brother recounts the day Doodle was born, saying that he was a disappointment as soon as he entered the world. The narrator was not satisfied with his brother, which resulted in the horrible things he thought about him. Brother said that “It was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable…” As a result, the narrator enjoyed torturing Doodle, threatening to abandon him multiple times. He even took Doodle to see the casket that was built for him, and forced him to touch it. The narrator basked in the control he had over his brother.
Short story: Signs and Symbols Author: Vladimir Nabokov The short story ‘Signs and Symbols’ is a tragic story of an elderly Russian couple having a deranged son in a sanatorium. The entire story revolves around the theme of tragedy. Despite the simple story plot, much of the little family’s background is revealed to the reader. The story begins with the couple, “they”, thinking of what they should get for their son on his birthday. This is apparently a problem to them, for the boy had no desires, given his incurable mental illness, “Mad-made objects…could be found in his abstract world.” The couple finally picked a basket with jellies for their son.
‘weep!” (3), shows the agony of the child who’s not even old enough to pronounce the term“sweep”. The child states, “so your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep” (4). The use of the “s” sounds hint towards the childs sadness at what life has brought him.Nevertheless, the child tries to make the best out of his situation & help others like “little Tom Dacre” and accept their situation, Tom cried at the loss of his innocence, but the child convinces him that it’s better that way because then, the “soot cannot spoil your white hair” (8). This means that the impurity & disgrace of his position can no longer touch him or hurt him. This nature is unusual for a child, but was produced because society pushed the child to mature into becoming an adult before he was even a child.In the poem an Angel tells Tom that if he is righteous and acts with the goodness of his heart then God will be his father and he would never wish for joy because he will forever have it.
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.
“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. “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf; my mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself.” The rowdy danced in the kitchen sent pans sliding across the counter. The wording suggests that the mother may have been trying to hold back a smile. “The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle.” This line seems to point to damage done by abuse the father committed, but upon reading further the father’s palms are caked with dirt. The damage on the knuckle and the dirt on his palms suggests that his line of work is rough on his hands.