Father to Son: Analysis

Introduction: "Father to Son" is a deeply emotional poem by Elizabeth Jennings that explores the strained relationship between a father and his son. The father expresses his sorrow and frustration over their growing distance, despite living under the same roof. The poem highlights themes of generation gap, lack of communication, regret, and longing for reconciliation.

Summary & Explanation

The father begins by expressing his inability to understand his own son, despite having raised him:

"I do not understand this child"

This line shows the father’s confusion and pain as he feels like his son has become a stranger. He laments that, although they have lived together for years, they have drifted apart:

"Though we have lived together now / In the same house for years."

He then reflects on how he had certain expectations for his son’s future, but his child has grown into a different person, forming his own identity:

"Yet have I killed / The seed I spent or sown it where / The land is his and none of mine?"

Here, the "seed" symbolizes the father’s efforts in raising his son, while "land" represents the son's independent life and choices, which the father does not feel connected to. He understands that his son has different values in life.

Despite the emotional gap, the father wants to repair their bond. He extends a hand in reconciliation, hoping they can understand each other again:

"We speak as strangers, there’s no sign / Of understanding in the air." "I would have him prodigal, returning to / His father’s house, the home he knew."

The father alludes to the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son, where a wayward son returns to his forgiving father. However, in this case, the son has not left physically but remains emotionally distant.

In the final stanza, the son speaks but does not express any warmth. He acknowledges the gap between them:

"It is but as a boy / I would forgive him too, shaping from sorrow / A new love."

This suggests that both father and son feel sorrow but struggle to bridge the gap. The father still hopes for reconciliation, but the ending remains uncertain, leaving the reader with a sense of unresolved tension.

Poetic Devices

Imagery – The poet uses vivid images to describe the emotional gap:

"The seed I spent or sown it where / The land is his and none of mine?" (Symbolizing the father’s lost influence over his son.)

Enjambment – Lines flow into each other without punctuation, reflecting the father’s continuous thoughts and emotions.

Example: "I do not understand this child / Though we have lived together now / In the same house for years."

Allusion – Reference to the Biblical "Prodigal Son" story:

"I would have him prodigal, returning to / His father’s house, the home he knew."

Symbolism – The son's silence symbolizes the lack of emotional connection between them:

"Silence surrounds us."

Caesura — Lines running through stanzas.