Hornbill - Poem 8. Father to Son - ELIZABETH JENNINGS The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers. The Poem - I do not understand ...
Hornbill - Poem 8.
Father to Son - ELIZABETH JENNINGS
The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, and Answers.
The Poem -
I do not understand this child
Though we have lived together now
In the same house for years. I know
Nothing of him, so try to build
Up a relationship from how
He has when small. Yet have I killed
The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there's no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father's house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world, I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.
Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief,
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.
Yet what he loves I cannot share.
Summary -
The poem, " Father to Son" is written by the poet Elizabeth Jennings, and in his autobiographical poem, the poet describes a personal experience that how he has detached away from his son. He feels very sad about it and wants to try every possible effort but as there is a generation gap between them, and a lack of dialogue, the distance between them gets widened.
However, its appeal is fairly universal. Both the father and son are poles apart. They think and live differently. They are living in the same house but still, they behave like strangers to each other. Despite an urge for a reunion, the separation continues and can't be helped.
Glossary - Difficult word meaning
1) prodigal - spending money freely and recklessly, wastefully extravagant.
2) longing - a strong desire for something, wanting.
Think it out-
1. Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
Ans - The poem does talk of an exclusive personal experience. However, we can also call it fairly universal because conflict like this is quite common in many households. It is also known as the generation gap, where parents protect their children and try to guide them in life and children find their values too overbearing. It is commonly found because of the difference in opinion, choice, and priorities.
2. How is the father's helplessness brought out in the poem?
Ans - The father's helplessness is highlighted through the depiction of his emotional struggle. He is aware of the problem and willing to resolve it but is unable to do so. He laments how his son has become a stranger to him. He regrets the lack of a strong emotional bond and proper communication with his son who has been alienated from him and wishes to start afresh and rebuilt their relationship. The father wants to talk to his son, wants to share, wants to forgive his son, if he has done any wrong deed, and wants to give whatever the son wants, but the tragedy is that he is unable to create a healthy dialogue between them, and that is the father's helplessness.
3. Identify the phrases and lines that indicate the distance between father and son.
Ans - In the poem, many lines, and phrases indicate the distance between them, and they are as follows -
1) ' I do not understand this child'
2) ' I know nothing of him'
3) ' We speak like strangers
4) ' There's no sign of understanding in the air
5) ' Silence surrounds us
6) ' He speaks: I cannot understand
7)' We each put out on empty hand
8) ' What he loves I cannot share
All the above lines show a huge gap between the father and the son.
4) Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?
Ans - Yes, the poem follows a consistent rhyme scheme called " ABBABA".
5) What do you mean by generation gap?
Ans - The generation gap is basically a difference of opinion, priority, belief, and choice between two generations, and it occurs because of differences in age, time, and lifestyle. For the father, one thing may appear to be right and should be adopted and cultivated by the son, but for the son, it may appear as a backward or outdated commodity. The father uses his experience, and belief to show the worthiness of it, but for the son, it appears 25-30 years old practice, because with time everything gets changed. Here, both are correct in their perspectives, the father should think of the modern time and must consider the opinion of the son, and on the contrary, the son must consider, what the father is trying to convince, and if it is worthy enough for him, he should accept it.
The generation gap can be very well understood by a simple example- For a son the smartphone costing 20,000-25,000/- is very common because all of his friends have the same, but for a father, it may be appear as a very expensive commodity to buy, and a smartphone of 12,000- 14,000/- will serve the same purpose, and the conflict starts, and they emotionally get separated.
Father - He does not understand the value of hard-earned money, and why am I saving the money? Only for his better future. I am not against him when he will be in college, I am thinking to gift him a laptop for 40,000/- on his 20th birthday, but for the time being, he should accept this.
Son - I don't understand his problem, whenever I ask anything to him, very first he denies it, and if convinced then does not do it according to my wish, my all friends are having the same branded smartphone, then why does not he agrees to give me the same? For whose sake, he is saving the money, I think he doesn't love me.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
------------------------BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
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