“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. Furthermore they both include the reality of family life as the poems are realistic and the poems, especially Nettles, have both the love and misery of family relationships. In Nettles the love in the poem is the protective instincts of a parent towards his son but the misery is the Nettles that had hurt his child and the fact that being protective isn’t enough to stop him from getting hurt. The realistic relationship in Harmonium is the family resentment and frustration from a son to his father. 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.
The narrator basked in the control he had over his brother. Because of the embarrassment the narrator felt about his brother, he became determined to make Doodle as normal as possible. Brother teaches Doodle how to walk, a kind act that improved Doodle’s quality of life. However, Brother’s intentions were bad, and he admits his pure selfish objectives when he says "And that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled
According to line 8, she seemed displeased with the father’s frivolous behaviors with their son in the kitchen. I was curious as to why the mother’s character was not further discussed. The topic of abuse could fall under the fault of the mother as opposed to the father. The disapproving attitude I received from the mother could mirror the father’s normal position had he not been intoxicated. The next stanza introduced that the father was a hard worker.
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.
I Hate How Much I Love You -My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke Explication Essay Theodore Roethke's ambiguous poem "My Papa’s Waltz" is filled with an interesting background that is directed toward the speaker and his father. This particular free verse is unique because it offers numerous situations that the child was put in with his father, more distinctly, the love toward the father. The incentive of this poetry displays how powerful the bond of loved ones can be; this is evident when the flaws of the father was overlooked and the speaker was still “clinging” onto his shirt. Upon reading the first stanza, it was obvious that the speaker realized that his father was drunk. However, in the mist of it all, he still cared and loved his father.
“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.
In the manhunt, the narrator’s consideration is for the mental suffering which her husband is suffering. Similar to Manhunt; in ‘Nettles’ it is the father’s care for the injuries of his son which he feels was caused by the nettles. Both poets use unusual imagery to present the writers family member as needing protection. In the man hunt instead of the obvious representation of a solider as strong and powerful, Laura’s husband is linked to fine, precious china, the damaged porcelain collar bone. This means he is described as fragile and precious because of his injuries, with his punctured lung described as delicate as “parachute silk”.
The Scarlet Ibis In James Hurst short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” he uses the tragic relationship of two brothers to demonstrate the themes of pride and brotherly love. “They did not know that I did for myself; that pride, whose slave I was; spoke to me louder than all their voices, and that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled brother.” Brother only helped Doodle so he won’t be embarrassed. But he also did it to help Doodle out. Then before doodle dies, Brother fells like he didn’t do enough for Doodle or loved him enough (pg.347). “He looked straight at me and grinned”.
“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.
Brittney Lindsey Professor Howard English 102 29 Mar 2013 Journal 1 In The poem “My Papa Waltz”, the relationship between the speaker and his father is an abnormal relationship, his father is engaging his child in his drunken activities .Before the child drifts of to sleep, he gets the opportunity to dance with his father .The Father is so drunk that the alcohol on his breath second handily intoxicates his son and makes him dizzy along with the fast paced dancing. Even though this dancing is an annoyance to his mother, and the child is well aware of this. The son continues to hold on to his drunken father in comfort no matter what the circumstances are. I feel like the son is gaining comfort from his father because, he may not receive any attention at all from his father when he is sober and this is his only opportunity to bond with his father even though he is intoxicated with alcohol. In “The Secretary’s Chant” The speaker turns herself into a machine in comparison to the objects that surround her in her everyday scene as a secretary.