Directions:
Experiences with family are not always positive ones, and sometimes we only understand the role that a father has played in our lives once we have grown up or become more mature. Peter Meinke’s poem, “Advice to My Son,” shows us the influence that a father can have on a child when he tries to pass on his experience and knowledge about the world to his son. In this poem, we hear the voice of a father who is establishing for readers a sense of the role that we might expect a father to play in a son’s life.
How does the speaker in Meinke’s poem show us what a father should be in terms of being a role model? What expectations might a child have for a father, and what are the stereotypes about what a “man” is supposed to be and do? What message does he convey to his son in this poem?
Once we have a sense of those expectations, let’s look at the other three poems in this unit: Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays,” and Lee’s “Eating Alone.” Each of these poems comes to us from the perspective of a child, so choose one poem and answer the following questions about that poem.
From what point of view is the poem written? Is the author writing in the present, or is he reflecting on a past relationship? What clues in the poem help you to understand that point of view? How would you characterize the relationship between the father and child? Describe the kind of relationship it seems to be.
Next, look for important images and symbols in the poem: what are they? If you need a starting point, consider the fact that food, labor, and gardening are common themes in most of these poems. Why would those things be associated with fathers? Do these images or symbols have similar or different effects in the poems? Compare one image or symbol that is used in two poems and explain how it is used similarly or differently by the two poets. Consider the emotional effect that the symbol or image has on the reader and the relevance it has in each poem; is it humorous, sad, frightening, or confused? What does the imagery and symbolism show you about the way the child sees/views/feels about his father?
Then, consider the way that one of these authors might use sound or diction to great effect. Where do you find alliteration in the poem? Assonance? Consonance? Are there any particular words that stand out to you due to their being unusually placed or out of sync with the other types of words that are being used? For instance, does the writer shift from simple language to more complex, or vice versa? Are there rhetorical questions being asked? Explain why the author might use sound or diction in these ways.
Finally, what differences do you see between the father figures presented in these poems versus the mothers in Part 1? How does the tone of these poems differ from the tone of the poems about mothers? What might that show us about the difference in a father/child relationship versus a mother/child relationship?
Consider the theme or message that the authors are trying to communicate in these poems. What do they each show us about fathers?
