With knowing this he is about the height of his fathers belt buckle. With the alcohol in his fathers system it is causing him to stumble, and with every stumble the little boys ear brushes against his belt buckle. This is not a "harsh reality" lesson for the boy, and it's definitely not straightforward abuse either. The Dad works hard, and he drinks hard too. He loves his son and was not deliberately trying to hurt him here it's just that he was drunk and didn't realize he was scaring and hurting the kid.
The father, although he is drunk, is not angry or mean, he is just trying to be playful. It is with this playfulness, that he causes the boy pain. While the boy likes to dance with his father, the speaker also indicates to us that the experience is not a pleasant one. The speaker paints the picture of a drunk, stumbling father who, without meaning to, hurts the boy; “At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a buckle” (11-12). The tone of the poem indicates that the boy is yearning for a dance without any missed steps.
The fact that he was laughing without any reason shows that he was drunk. This might mean he has a drinking problem which will eventually lead him into trouble and he might also be a bit naïve. Moreover, we know that his parents protected him from the real world and treated him like a child since they didn’t even let him get his own job like people who are less than him would. In addition, we also started to realize that he doesn’t only drink in occasions but that he actually has a problem when he quoted “yes I insisted it seems. I’m not very clear about it”.
However, as the play continues the audience begin to realise that Stanhope’s personality changes when he is drunk and Raleigh is left in disbelief. This allows the audience to see how the poor conditions affected the men, and how they learnt to cope with them. Raleigh’s character is also an instrument used to by Sherriff that shows the naivety and innocence of the men. A lot of the boys fighting had barely left school, and
Keller knew how Paul’s music would sound like and crushed Paul’s smugness about his ability, which was less accomplished than he believed. Paul thought of it as an insult and a waste of his time, as reflected by his strong opinion expressed with frustration to his father after the first lesson that, “He practically broke my arm… He’s a sadist,” when he complained to his parents. Knowing that Paul was an arrogant teenager who had been praised too much, Keller tried to teach him more than just the mastery of the piano, but how his attitude should be. Although Paul did not receive Keller’s message, later on he realized how much Keller had taught
Holden often filters his speech in order to please those around him, yet he thinks the complete opposite in his head e.g. when Holden is talking to Ernest’s mother on the train and lying about how he is one of the most “popular boys in school”, while in reality he believes he is doubtless “the biggest bastard”. * In particular he repeatedly explains how much he hates “phonies” such as his brother D.B. who sold out to Hollywood, D.B.s ex-girlfriend and even Stradlater, a shallow and “secret slob”. In saying this however, Holden is often recognised as a phony himself such as when he gives himself the identity of Rudolf Shmidt on the train or when he refuses sexual opportunities despite always thinking, questioning and desiring sex e.g.
He is even involving Gerald by talking about possible fusion of his father's company and Birlings Limited. His behaviour clearly shows to the audience that Mr Birling in fact is a selfish man who puts business and wealth higher in hierarchy than the happiness of his daughter. According to his business like appearance, audience would expect Mr Birling to be a man who thinks about today, not tomorrow and has his feet firmly on the ground but in fact Mr Birling is quite the opposite. He appears to be too optimistic and does not know the impact of his findings. 'there isn't chance of war' shows the lack of correct judgment.
This leads the reader to believe that the two probably had a strained relationship much of the time due to the alcoholism his father struggles with. But even though this is a problem the small child still “hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy” (Roethke 501). While the speaker does not approve of his father’s actions he accepts them for what they are. The ‘Waltz’ is a direct symbol of the father and son’s relationship. The next stanza gives the reader insight into the many problems that the father causes in the speaker’s household.
This is known early in Counterparts as while Farrington is being scolded the first time by Mr. Alleyne he is thinking about drinking later on that night, “leaving after it a sharp sensation of thirst. The man recognized the sensation and felt that he must have a good night's drinking”. It is also clear he is an alcoholic when he pawns his pocket for drinking money. Personally, I can understand why Farrington would want to drink alcohol. He is having a rough day, and needs a way of escaping from the reality of his adversity.
I found it some humor in Telemachus‘ saying, “sip your wine” to the old man (317). He did not refer to the wine as his father’s as he probably would have done if he had been talking to one of the suitors. To some extent, that specific choice of words gives away the fact that the old man really is Odysseus in disguise. Telemachus constantly seems to be underestimated by the suitors, which gives an acute advantage to him and to his