Abuelito Who Poem Theme

Have you ever really showed someone how much you love them? Every day, even if you don’t think so, people love, appreciate, and respect you. Do they know you love them back? We need to appreciate our family, especially our grandparents. Because one day, they won’t be there to be loved. Leo Tolstoy’s Russian folk tale “The Grandfather and His Little Grandson” and Sandra Cisnero’s poem “Abuelito Who” have the same universal theme of love and respect between grandchildren and grandparents.

In “The Grandfather and His Little Grandson,” a Russian folk tale, the old and weak grandfather was pushed aside and treated poorly just because he was old and had trouble doing simple things like eating. When the Grandfather broke his sons clay bowls, it was the last straw for his son and his daughter-in-law. After that, they made him use a wooden bowl. Thankfully, the parents realized how cruel they were when the little

grandson was found making a wooden bowl for his parents to use when they got old and weak. When the parents saw this, they finally understood that they were mistreating the grandfather. After that day, they let him eat at the table and were kind to him. This folk tale shows the importance of appreciating your grandparents in the time you have them, and even though they can be grumpy and annoying, they are still special.

In “Abuelito Who?” an informal yet very intimate piece, the beginning of the poem describes a grandfather as what he used to be, unlike what he is now.

He used to, “...laugh like the letter k.” Except now he, “...is tired shut the door doesn’t live here anymore.” This makes you believe that the grandfather, over the years, has gotten sick, old and, maybe, might be gone soon. This poem is different from “The Grandfather and His Little Grandson” because the reader loves her abuelito, unlike the son and daughter-in-law in “The Grandfather and His Little Grandson” who don’t really love or appreciate the grandfather. At the end of this poem, it says, “...asking, who loves him who loves him who.” This means that he might not know he is loved by his granddaughter. The mood is a little bit depressing because it makes it sound like the grandfather is old and sick, and that he believes that nobody loves him. Overall, I believe the poem is trying to tell us that grandparents won’t be there forever, and we need to show them we love them before they are

gone.

So, do you remember when you showed someone you loved them? In the folk tale, “The Grandfather and His Little Grandson,” it conveys the theme that even though grandparents can be annoying, they still should be loved and respected. In the poem, “Abuelito Who,” it has the main message of loving your grandparents while you have them and making sure they know you love them. This can apply to all of us and it doesn’t only apply to grandparents, it applies to every single person you are with every day. And, it doesn’t take much. Just calling them or sending them a kiss emoji can brighten their day more than you would think. Every day you are with someone, it is special.