The poem of A Story by Li-Young Lee analyzes the coming of age of a son through the eyes and emotions of a father. On the surface, it seems like a simple situation of a father telling the son a story to entertain him. But it is upon closer inspection and deep analysis that reveals the true meaning of the poem that the poet is trying to convey to the reader. By the title A Story, it seems as if we are about to hear of a simple story similar to that of a bedtime story or maybe the events that one has faced in their life. It ends up being the story of a father that is unable to tell his five year old son a story. The father “rubs his chin” and “scratches his ear” due to his inability to remember a story from the top of his head even though there is “a room full of books in a world of stories”. However, it is not literal as in the story is not the problem, it is the son’s viewpoint of his father and him thinking that his father cannot satisfy his wishes. The story he wishes for is not one that involves adventures or superheroes, but rather asking his father to do something for him as if his father hasn’t done anything for him in the first place. The boy is growing up and as he growing away from his father and the father knows that this It begins when mentioning the story of the angel in which is apparent that he raised his son with the intention of religious importance in his life. It’s not explicitly stated if the boy is religious or not, just that his father views it a something of high importance. Maybe the boy is challenging his father's beliefs as the father asks if his son is a “god”. This may be due to the son’s unhappiness and that he is expecting so much from his father as if he is of higher authority in comparison to his father. This just shows the complexity of their relationship as we see the perspective from both sides of their
The father sees himself asking if his child is a “god…that [the father] sites mute before [him,” and then asking if he himself is “a god in that [he] should never disappoint?” The father first describes his child as a god because he feels that his son is a being that is untouchable, and it to be able to fully connect with him is something the father does not comprehend. The father then describes himself as a god, asking if he failed to be like a god in his child’s eyes and be perfect in every way. Another metaphor in the poem are the books. The father uses books to connect with his son, much like how Christians use the Bible, a book, to connect with their God. The Bible is something that can have a positive influence on the lives of Christians and support them through their lives all through the use of words. This is similar to the books the father uses. The father does not know how to be a positive influence on his son, so he uses books as a medium to communicate with his son due to the fact that he cannot think of what to say himself. By using these metaphors, the father is comparing his and his child’s relationship to one of a mortal and a god: a relationship that is not familial love, but rather one of a love or worship for a divine being. The father feels that he cannot have a good relationship with his son because his child is something that he cannot understand no matter how hard he tries. He is also worried that he will never live up to his son’s expectations and will fail to support
father’s childhood, and later in the poem we learn that this contemplation is more specifically
I have elected to analyze seven poems spoken by a child to its parent. Despite a wide variety of sentiments, all share one theme: the deep and complicated love between child and parent.
... overall themes, and the use of flashbacks. Both of the boys in these two poems reminisce on a past experience that they remember with their fathers. With both poems possessing strong sentimental tones, readers are shown how much of an impact a father can have on a child’s life. Clearly the two main characters experience very different past relationships with their fathers, but in the end they both come to realize the importance of having a father figure in their lives and how their experiences have impacted their futures.
Due to the unfavorable conditions, the man and the boy do not have the capacity to love in a healthy way. They are “each the other’s world entire” (5), depending on the other solely and wholly, with no need for anything else. The man even goes as far as to compare his son to God; “He only knew the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God does not exist” (4). The diction riddled with desperation adds to the plain syntax. For, it is a simple truth, but only to the man and boy. In this post-apocalyptic society, there is no room for error: survival should be the single-most important thing on people 's minds, not a God that may or may not exist. This unhealthy worship is telling of McCarthy 's complicated yet overall negative view of humanity. While it is not wrong to depend on one another, a vital line is crossed when they believe they are all the other has. It brings on moments such as when the boy questions his father about death. He asks, “What would you do if I died?”(9). To which the father responds, “If you died I would want to die too”(9). McCarthy’s seemingly affectionate yet harrowing tone is evident in the promise of death the father and son make. The man and the boy are one of the only examples of the good that remain in this desolate world. To have those who are good make such a haunting promise is proof, not
Stories are our essence of life. They grow and change with us. They allow us to reconstruct the pas, and put our slant on things. They don’t’ have make sense, and they don’t all have to be fact. That’s what kind of story this is.
Nonetheless, this really is a tale of compelling love between the boy and his father. The actions of the boy throughout the story indicate that he really does love his father and seems very torn between his mother expectations and his father’s light heartedness. Many adults and children know this family circumstance so well that one can easily see the characters’ identities without the author even giving the boy and his father a name. Even without other surrounding verification of their lives, the plot, characters, and narrative have meshed together quite well.
is not a story as it is boring and repetitive. I have read such short stories
The boy comprehends the severity of the situations he is faced with, such as lack of food or water, and treats his father with the same respect and equality that the man gives him. He insists on sharing his portions with his father when they are uneven, and he remains cautious at all times, even when his father is not. The boy’s fire is fueled by his love for his father, which is shown by the boy’s priority on caring for his father’s wellbeing, just as the man does for him. This love and responsibility, manifesting in the form of self-sacrifice and compassion, lies in direct juxtaposition to the rest of the world, where selfishness and indifference reigns
The poet uses four line stanzas or quatrains, and this is a narrative poem because the speaker tells a story. The speaker seems a little odd in a way because she does not know what is happening; “Worried whispers” (6) is an alliteration, and it also symbolizes the speaker’s anxiety. Both her uncle and father do not tell the truth to the speaker, instead they “Sugarcoat” it. This is similar to Emily Dickinson’s poem “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” because the children might get scared if they learn the truth right away. In the line “What a good time she’ll have learning to swim,” (11) the poet again emphasizes how adults lie to children so they do not hurt them. The speaker feels as though her parents are lying to her; however, she just trusts them because she believes that what adults do cannot go wrong. Also, “A week at the beach so papi get some rest” (15) sounds as if the speaker’s father has to leave the Dominican Republic because he is some kind of danger.
In a typical family, there are parents that expected to hear things when their teenager is rebelling against them: slamming the door, shouting at each other, and protests on what they could do or what they should not do. Their little baby is growing up, testing their wings of adulthood; they are not the small child that wanted their mommy to read a book to them or to kiss their hurts away and most probably, they are thinking that anything that their parents told them are certainly could not be right. The poem talks about a conflict between the author and her son when he was in his adolescence. In the first stanza, a misunderstanding about a math problem turns into a family argument that shows the classic rift between the generation of the parent and the teenager. Despite the misunderstandings between the parent and child, there is a loving bond between them. The imagery, contrasting tones, connotative diction, and symbolism in the poem reflect these two sides of the relationship.
The Author Li young Lee wanted to speak about the old and new, from when he lived in his old home, to living in America. His Poem “Eating Together” he wrote about this heritage and the traditions of living. Cathy Song was another author who write about the Asian American culture. She had also written through her poems the diversity between the two cultures she had lived in. In the poem “Lost Sister” she explain how a girl looses who she is when she moves and lives in America, this lost sister finds herself feeling alone among people she does not know. Cathy Song is able to write about her past and other peoples experience because of her
The Romantic Period is characterized as an artistic and intellectually stimulating literary movement. Writers of this genre and time are considered to be those who fused the elements of romance in their writings to enhance the human experience. Edgar Allan Poe, known as the father of the modern short story, epitomizes this notion in his writings. In “Annabel Lee,” and “The Oval Portrait,” Edgar Allan Poe uses romance to illustrate the essence of death and misery and to illustrate elements in which the reader can actually feel that was is happening in the story is happening to them.
The Father precipitates his Son’s not-quite-selfless speech by musing before all the angels who might actually undertake the doubtlessly miserable task of becoming
Adam, a corporal officer, starts as man who works everyday to catch the ‘villains’ of society, but is not spending enough time with his family, especially his son. He favors his nine year old daughter over his fifteen year old son. Adam views his daughter as a sweet child, and his son as a stubborn teenager who is going through a rebellious stage. However, when his daughter is killed in an accident, his perspective of family changes. In his grief, he states that he wishes he had been a better father. His wife reminds him that he still is a father and he realizes that he still has a chance with his son, Dylan. After his Daughter’s death, he creates a resolution from scriptures that states how he will be a better father. Because of the resolution he creates, he opens up to and spends more time with his son. By th...