poem at thirty nine Flashcards
“how I miss my father i wish he had not been so tired when i was born”
-declarative, emphasising deep sorrow and nostolgia
-opening stanza sets tone of longing and regret
-establishes poems central focus, her fathers absence and the lasting effect of his present in her life
-reinforces personal nature of the poem, allows reader to connect with walkers feelings
-The simplicity and directness of this statement emphasize the raw emotion behind it
-The next lines, “I wish he had not been / so tired / when I was born,” introduce a sense of regret and missed opportunity. This suggests that the father’s fatigue (possibly from work or life’s struggles) may have affected their early relationship, hinting at a desire for a different beginning.
“he taught me how”
-The stanza concludes with “He taught me how,” emphasizing the father’s role as a teacher and mentor. This line bridges the gap between past and present, showing how the father’s lessons continue to impact the speaker’s adult life.
-grief into appreciation
-father influence shapes her life
-pass down valuble lessons
“He cooked like a person dancing in a yoga meditation and craved voluptuous sharing of good food”
-similie, suggesting grace and mindfulness, poryrays her father as both as practical and both a spiratul figure
-vivid description portrays fathers joy in cooking, linking it to sensual and spiritual experiences
-challenges gender roles
-almost sacred experience
-craved the voluptuous sharing, imagery, strong desire, evokes sensory pleasure and generosity, highlighst her fathers passionate and generous nature
-This visual imagery compares cooking to dancing, suggesting grace, rhythm, and joy in the father’s movements. It portrays the father’s cooking as an art form, implying that he found pleasure and creativity in this everyday task. This imagery also hints at the father’s positive influence on the speaker’s life.
“now i look and cook just like him”
-This statement shows the speaker’s realization that she has inherited her father’s traits and habits. It illustrates the theme of identity and self-growth, as the speaker recognizes her father’s lasting influence on her life. This quote is crucial as it demonstrates the continuity between generations and the enduring impact of parental influence.
-reflective tone, legacy continues through her
-enduring love and connection
-internal rhyme, both united despite his death
“He could have grown to admire the woman i’ve become”
-This final reflection encapsulates the speaker’s journey of self-discovery and her hope for her father’s approval. It suggests both pride in her own growth and a lingering desire for her father’s recognition.
-speakers belief in her fathers potential pride
-she recognizes that it possibly would’ve been a challenging process
due to their differences, but that her father’s nature would’ve
ultimately led to complete acceptance of his daughter’s
identity.
“Cooking, writing, chopping wood, staring into the fire”
-Imagery and symbolism:
“Cooking”: Represents nurturing, creativity, and daily life. It’s a tangible connection to the father’s influence.
“Writing”: Symbolizes intellectual pursuits, self-expression, and possibly the speaker’s career as a writer.
“Staring into the fire”: Evokes contemplation, introspection, and possibly a meditative state.
-“Staring into the fire” particularly suggests a moment of deep thought or emotional processing, possibly reflecting on memories of the father.
-This line encapsulates the poem’s themes of memory, inheritance, and the everyday ways in which the speaker connects with her father’s legacy. It demonstrates how ordinary activities can carry profound emotional and symbolic weight.
-asyndeton, suggest rich and varied life
-enjambment, sense of growth and porgression
-sense of self sufficiency and independece she developed from her father
form and structure
-free verse- The poem lacks a fixed rhyme scheme or meter, creating a conversational tone that mirrors the natural flow of memory. This unstructured form reflects the speaker’s fragmented thoughts and the organic process of reminiscence, emphasizing the personal, introspective nature of grief.
–> reflects how memories resurface in an individuals mins as fragmented thoughts and ideas
-no rhyme scheme, reflects loose and fluid nature of speakers memories
tone: “How I miss my father!”
-This line, repeated in the poem, encapsulates the nostalgic and melancholic tone of Poem at Thirty-Nine.
-The speaker’s longing for her deceased father is evident through the direct and emotive expression of loss.
-The repetition emphasizes the depth of her grief and the enduring impact of her father’s absence on her life
-The simplicity of the sentence, combined with its exclamation mark in later stanzas, conveys both raw emotion and a sense of reflection. Initially, the tone is regretful as the speaker laments missed opportunities and her father’s hardships. However, as the poem progresses, the tone shifts to one of celebration and admiration for his influence on her identity and values
