Three Poems about Fathers (Essay Sample)

An Analysis of Poems’ Literary Devices
Name
Institution
Any poem portrays a deeper message than it seems in the simple words used by the writer. The literary works, My Father’s Hat, My Papa’s Waltz and Those Winter Sundays all discuss a common theme of the relationships between children and their fathers. All these poems are written by adults who are trying to recall a part of their childhood and the experiences with their fathers. All the writers, however, seem to be using a lot of literary devices like metaphors and imagery that are combined to bring out the theme and mood of the poems.
In the poem My Father’s Hat by Mark Irwin, he explains the experiences of a young child exploring his mind to find the answers to his father’s death. There is a definite theme of religion that comes out in the context of this poem and it implies that this child uses religion as a mitigating factor. The works of Mark makes him more insecure and towards the end of the poem, he does not even firmly believe that his religion can give him the answers. My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke is also another creative work that a young boy remembers how he used to live with his father. The theme here is different in that during the part that the author recalls in the poem, the dad was drunk, and he was not that comfortable. His dad was also the kind of a controlling person who used to grab his wrist while they are walking. Those Winter Sundays is the final poem, and a child is honoring his father’s memories of how he did a lot of things for their family. He sacrificed his sleep and woke up early all the days even on Sunday just to take care of the family. The theme here is the power of a man in a family, and that is well portrayed in this case.
The use of metaphors is widely seen in the poems like for instance in My Father’s Hat; the child is looking through the closet looking for something. The use of the words "Sunday Morning’s" shows that it is a religious journey as this is the same day that people go to worship their gods. While looking through, he touches something that feels like a god and then he begins to smell his father’s hat meaning that he gets closer to getting the answers. He says that he touches something like a "Yellow Fruit" which can allude back to the biblical stories of Adam and the forbidden fruit. At the end of the narration, the author seems to be a little doubtful and losing faith in his religion. The mood changes from an exciting adventure to one that feels hopeless and all alone in the world According to My Father’s Hats, "thinking of his fabulous sleep, I stand on this canyon floor" (16 and 17). He also doesn’t seem to trust religion anymore and according to the poem My Father’s Hats "and watching lightly and slowly close on water I’m not sure is there" (18 and19)
In My Papas Waltz, a lot of irony and imagery is quite visible in the case and According to My Papas Waltz, "whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death" (2 and 3). The phrase means that the boy is just putting up with this because the smell of alcohols was not easy to bear when hanging on his father’s shirt. While playing in the kitchen, a bitter experience occurs when the kid has to hold his father more not to fall on the pots instead of enjoying the moment. Lastly, Those Winter Sundays uses a lot of imagery while the child describes his father. According to Those Winter Sundays, "With cracked hands that ached from labor in the ...