Themes of Family Happiness Discussed in Daddy, Sonny's Blues and On Going Home

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Family plays a key role in all societies and cultures, and happiness is the direct result of the love within a family. The text discussed in the family theme has portrayed examples of both happy and very unhappy families. Three pieces of literature that discuss themes pertaining to the happiness and well-being of a family are Daddy, Sonny’s Blues, and On Going Home. While some of the themes raised in these works such as forgiveness and unconditional love are vital in order for families to be happy, themes involving change and loss are most certainly not necessary in contributing to a family’s happiness.

The short poem Daddy by Sylvia Plath illustrates how important it is for a child to have a relationship with his or her father. The main theme in this poem is loss of a loved one. Here, Sylvia Plath is clearly the speaker in this poem. She is very depressed and is angry that her father died and she blames him for leaving her. People who have experienced a traumatic childhood by losing a parent often grow up to blame the one who is dead. This loss is not necessary for the happiness of a family because of all the apparent grief that it brings.

For a family to be happy there must be strong relationships between the child and the parents. The bond between a parent and a child is the most important relationship in one’s life and can make the heaviest impact on the happiness of the family. Parents are there to teach and give guidance to the child throughout his or her life and represent the ultimate example of what a relationship should be. For Plath, losing her father at the age of ten was incredibly treacherous because she was very close to him as a young child. Also, because of losing her father, she became seriously depressed and...

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...e not necessary for a family to be happy, while unconditional love and forgiveness are very important in order to make a family happy.

Works Cited

Baldwin, James. "Sonny’s Blues." Literature and Ourselves. Ed. Vivian Garcia. 6th ed. New York City: Publishing Services Inc., 2009. 72-96.

Didion, Joan. "On Going Home." Literature and Ourselves. Ed. Vivian Garcia. 6th ed. New York City: Publishing Services Inc., 2009. 44-46.

Mecham, Jon. “Importance of the Parent-Child Bond.” The Washington Post. 27 September 2008. 16 November 2009
2008/09/26/AR2008092603300.html

Plath, Sylvia. "Daddy." Literature and Ourselves. Ed. Vivian Garcia. 6th ed. New York City: Publishing Services Inc., 2009. 133-135.

“What is Real Love?” Real Love. 2008. 16 November 2009

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