Explication Of Sharon Olds Poem, Late Poem To My Father :: essays research papers

Sharon Olds’ poem â€Å"Late Poem to My Father† exposes the profound effect that childhood trauma can have on someone, even in adulthood. The speaker of the poem invokes sadness and pity in the reader by reflecting on the traumatic childhood of her father, and establishes a cause and effect relationship between the abuse he endured as a child and the dependence he develops on alcohol as an adult. The idea of emotional retardation caused by childhood experiences is not uncommon, especially in our modern world of prevalent substance abuse, dysfunctional families, and child abuse. However, Olds’ poem is a moving testament to this tragic loss of innocence due to the powerful imagery she weaves throughout the first half of the poem. In addition, Olds skillfully uses figurative language and deliberate line breaks throughout the poem to develop the dismal sorrow her speaker feels while reflecting on the childhood of her father. The poem opens with the speaker experiencing an epiphany while contemplating on her father’s childhood, and later in the poem we learn that this contemplation is more specifically focused on the causes of her father’s dependence on alcohol. In the first seven lines of the poem she uses descriptive details to establish a dark, foreboding image of the setting. For example, in lines two and three she describes the house with â€Å"unlit rooms† and a â€Å"hot fireplace†. She goes on to portray her father as â€Å"a boy of seven, helpless, smart,...† which reinforces his innocence in this imagery of darkness. It is interesting to note how the speaker distinguishes these details, yet in lines three and six, she refers to her father’s father only as â€Å"the man†. She intentionally refers to him in this flat way so as to convey to the reader that he is unworthy of any characterization. She also omits characterization in line six when she writes, â€Å"there were things the man did near you,† purposely emphasizing â€Å"things† with no other explanation. This leads to the assumption that some actions are too abominable to convey in words, thus leaving us with a vast array of uncomfortable possibilities to consider. The description of the â€Å"sweet apples picked at their peak...rotted and rotted,†in lines nine and ten establishes a comparison between her father’s loss of innocence, and the ripe fruit being left to waste. In line eleven she writes, â€Å"past the cellar door the creek ran and ran† which is a contrast to the apples being trapped within the cellar (like the child in the house), and the creek being on the outside, where the idea of escape exists.