My parents by stephen spender analysis. My Parents by Stephen Spender Poem Analysis 2022-10-09

My parents by stephen spender analysis Rating: 8,1/10 1696 reviews

"My Parents" by Stephen Spender is a poignant and emotional poem that explores the complex relationship between a child and their parents. The speaker in the poem reflects on the sacrifices and love that their parents have given them, and the ways in which their parents have shaped their identity and values.

The poem begins with the speaker describing their parents as "strangers" and "aliens," implying that they are mysterious and unknowable to the speaker. This sense of distance and disconnection is heightened by the use of the word "never," as the speaker laments that they "never knew" their parents and that their parents "never knew" them. This creates a sense of sadness and longing, as the speaker wishes for a closer and more intimate relationship with their parents.

However, as the poem progresses, the speaker begins to understand and appreciate the sacrifices and love that their parents have given them. They recognize that their parents have "suffered" and "endured" in order to provide for them and give them the best possible life. The speaker also acknowledges the ways in which their parents have shaped their values and beliefs, stating that they have "absorbed" their parents' "teachings" and "moods."

The final stanza of the poem is particularly poignant, as the speaker reflects on the passage of time and the inevitable loss of their parents. They recognize that their parents are "getting old" and that they will eventually "die," and this realization brings a sense of urgency and longing to the poem. The speaker expresses their desire to "know" their parents and to "love" them before it is too late, implying that they have not fully appreciated or understood their parents until now.

Overall, "My Parents" by Stephen Spender is a deeply moving and thought-provoking poem that explores the complexities of family relationships and the ways in which our parents shape our identity and values. It highlights the importance of cherishing and appreciating our parents while we still have the chance, and encourages us to strive for deeper understanding and connection with those we love.

Symbolysm in Poetry of Stephen Spender Analysis Essay Example

my parents by stephen spender analysis

It also expresses all the feelings he had when he was bullied, excluded and had a lack of protection from his parents. In titling the poem My Parents and then only mentioning his parents once before speaking about bullying , the persona seems to both blame his parents for his lack of freedom and him being the target of the children's abuse. Their thighs are said to show 'through rags,' rags being a symbol of poverty and communicating their poorer status in comparison to the persona. They play in the street and climb cliffs and swim in rivers with no constraint. This is because the source and embodiment ofl the conflict within the poet as a child derived from their well-meaning if misguided protectiveness and elitism. I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron The Hyperbole here shows the extent of how afraid the boy is of these boys.

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CSEC English B: My Parents by Stephen Spender Poem Analysis (2022)

my parents by stephen spender analysis

This attribute of theirs enabled them spring out from behind hedges underlining their volatile and unpredictable nature. In the second paragraph, the persona confesses his fear of these children Spender 2004 n. The poem is about a black boy who wishes that he could have regular things in life. The poet uses tigers because tigers are big carnivorous animals and readers can easily identify why the boy would feel fear because most readers would be afraid of tigers. While the poem is a literal depiction of childhood torment and suffering in the hands of strict and protective parents, the underlying theme revolves around social barriers embodied in a series of literary and poetic devices including alliteration, imagery, first-person point of view, and symbolism among others. He is envious of them, and wishes to enjoy the same wonders of freedom as they do.

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My Parents

my parents by stephen spender analysis

The children hurled mud at the speaker. It also makes the reader annoyed and angry at the bullies for making the boy feel afraid and also at the same time at the parents for not doing anything to prevent it. However, there are also moments where the parents were trying to protect the poet. Advertisements I longed to forgive them but they never smiled. Their words, therefore, are used with the intention to harm emotionally in the same way stones are thrown with the intention of causing physical destruction. This is the implicit irony of the poem.

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The poem "My Parents" analysis

my parents by stephen spender analysis

Generally, the act of throwing stones is intended to provoke someone, to chase someone away or to articulate contempt. . Word Count - 3000 words This is a study on a Strategic Variance Analysis for the profitability as well as the Operating Cash flow. I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys Who copied my lisp behind me on the road. The third verse shows, that these boys were strong, agile boys, who would lie in wait for him to pass by. Spender who is the persona, questions the integrity of the middle-class system of value by highlighting the hypocrisy and pretensions of their secret lives. They threw mud While I looked the other way, pretending to smile.

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My Parents, Stephen Spender Poem Analysis/Annotations

my parents by stephen spender analysis

A dog can be a friend and an enemy. The poem is set as 3 stanzas, quatrain, the lines 1 and 2 are erratic. In this phrase the poet shows how his parents were trying to protect him. Seemingly, the poor and the rich can come together and live harmoniously depending on their decision. Spencer expresses his desire to make amends with these children but they never gave him an opportunity to do so. We also see the harassment he is subjected to, as he is pinned to the ground during some sort of fight. Even in this fear though, there is an admiration of their strength that far surpasses his own.

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'My parents kept me from children who were rough' by Stephen Harold Free Essay Example

my parents by stephen spender analysis

The second verse, it tells movement of a jerking action. Structure The poem comprises three quatrains, or stanzas of four lines. He longed to forgive them but he never did as he had no reason to, he longed to make friends but he was never able to. Evidently, the poem depicts how the rigidness of the society widens the gap between the rich and the poor and it this gap that creates strong social barriers between these two worlds. This comparison is a paradoxical representation of the social class.


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Stephen Spender

my parents by stephen spender analysis

It also makes you feel angry at the other boys because they are excluding him from their groups and at the same time also bullying him. They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges Like dogs to bark at my world. I felt that they do not want to reminisce about that period of time. A dog when treated with respect and love, becomes the best friend to a person. It also negates the assumption that individuals born in rich families are superior to those born in low-income families. He uses imagery, symbolism, first-person point of view, enjambment, paradox, irony, alliteration, and vivid description to describe the experiences and feelings that emerge when people from different social class interact.

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My Parents by Stephen Spender

my parents by stephen spender analysis

Bring your Excel file to class on a flash drive or laptop. They had were not reticent on stripping as they were far from the realm of calculated sophistications. Nonetheless, they would tease him constantly, mocking his lisp while pointing reproachfully. He also writes about how they dress and take off their clothes. Spencer seems to be a sheltered child, he also seems to be from a household that was more affluent.


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