The two poems ÃÂApology to My FatherÃÂ by David Hutchison, and ÃÂOn the Birth of a SonÃÂ by David Campbell, are very different at first glance. On closer examination of the similarities and differences of: audience, language, themes, messages, structure and readerÃÂs role, connections can be made. Readers are rewarded by carefully reading these poems.
A man thinking about one specific event in his life and the regret he has always felt about that night, is the poem ÃÂApology to My FatherÃÂ. Back when the male, whoÃÂs point of view the poemÃÂs from, was a teenage boy, his father had just come back from war deathly wounded. They are sitting by the fireplace listening to a storm, almost falling asleep, the father tells the son to go to bed and as heÃÂs leaving the room, the son goes to kiss his father on the forehead, but hesitates.
This hurts his father and the son leans down, but only giving a half-hearted kiss. In the morning his father is dead and that is the regret that will follow the son for the rest of his life. ÃÂOn the Birth of a SonÃÂ however, is about a father fearing fatherhood and if the child will get along with him, be nice and whether he will be good at fatherhood or a failure, but then he sees his son and everything just relaxes and becomes naturally easy.
These poems are both definitely aimed at the more mature and English-literate young adults and fully-fledged adults. Although one is easier to decipher than the other, they both require work to get to the roots of the true meaning of the poem, which someone who is just learning their letters, or only reads and doesnÃÂt really think about what...