Analysis of Tony Harrison's Poems

Analysis of Tony Harrison's Poems After reading and analysing the three Tony Harrison poems I found

that, they portray many relationships between families with three

members. In all of the poems Harrison was the son and they talked

about the relationships between him and his father.

The first poem is ‘Book Ends’. This poem shows us how the death of the

mother affects father and son. Throughout the poem, Harrison shows the

broken relationship he has with his father, commenting “We never could

talk much”. His father’s occupation was a baker; this can be seen from

the words related to baking bread. An example can be seen from the

following quote, “Baked the day she suddenly dropped dead”, Harrison’s

father considered labour to be a male occupation., however this was

incorrect as his father was ignorant and used to mock his interest in

poetry and calling him a “scholar”, and making statements about

Harrison being unable to inscribe his feelings on his mother’s

gravestone, “You’re supposed to be the bright boy at description”. His

father’s bitterness towards the poet is a paradox, as he still

requires Harrison to help him through this sad period, “At night you

need my company to pass”. In the last stanza, the father’s ignorant

mind is shown to us poor use of language, according to Harrison, but

the theme of love is introduced as the poet “can’t squeeze more love

into their stone”, which suggests that the poet feels like an outcast

from the family and t...

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...ject of death in a way calculated to amuse or entertain.

His startling imagery, for example “chilled dough of his flesh”, “ash

(not unlike flour) for one small loaf”, might raise a smile. Other

lines reveal the misfortune of their lives, for example “Though my

mother was already two years dead Dad kept her slippers warming by the

gas”. This line allows us to feel his father’s broken heart and his

inability to come to terms with loss of his wife. Tony Harrison deals

with the subject of religious beliefs in a decent manner. It is clear

that his parents had conventional beliefs which the poet did not

have. He is “sorry for his sake there’s no Heaven to reach” displays

that Harrison’s parents had hope of entering heaven. The poet makes

his absence of belief by using the following,” I get it all from Earth

my daily bread.