My Father Would Not Show Us Flashcards
Language
“Behind the curtains where his life had been” metaphor of concealment and isolation, he was suffering on the inside
Contrast between “a louder braver place” and “wry smile” shows the trauma suffered from the narrator and ideas of Life VS death
“This is the last time I am allowed to remember my childhood”- paradox, nostalgia
Structure
Repetition of “he hid” frustration inside the reader, as they realise their father’s death
Caesura of “he turned,he turned away” - sadness inside reader
Form
No rhyme scheme adding to the sense of panic inside the narrator
Context
Social and political views on the apartheid inside South Africa - separation
Having view the body before burying it is a common practice in South Africa
Universality of the grief stated in the poem
Links
A child to his sick grandfather
