“Forgiving my father” by Lucille Clifton Essay

As a per discussion treads through life, he or she will realize at genius point or another that the existence of complex relationships will often stupefy an affect on the actions of those involved. The nature of these relationships can have either a positive or negative effect on a person depending on the nature of it, or how severe its elements are. It is hu homosexual nature to fill emotions self-whispered and uphold a proud countenance however, those who go against this natural tendency will exert a rebellion of sorts to any and every falsehood. In the poem forgiving my nonplus by Lucille Clifton, the speaker describes a daughter is haunted by recollections of strife between her and her father. The speaker in the poem actually seeks to hold her father accountable for his shortcomings instead of forgiving him for his deficiencies. In the poem My papas waltz by Theodore Roethke, it is clear that the papa and the child have a relationship sprinkled with fear, joy and love. Both fathers in the poems are stern to their child in many ways. In Cliftons poem, the speaker is in danger because of the psychological distress and financial instability caused by her father. In Roethkes poem, the speaker is in danger mainly due to his fathers abusive behavior.In Cliftons poem, the speaker is using a monetary debt to symbolize a debt of love and affection. The father in this poem is unable to provide the necessary charge for his family which leads to the early demise of the speakers mother, and causes mental distress to the speaker. The speaker is haunted by her father even in sleeping. all week you have stood in my dreams/like a ghost, asking for more(prenominal) time(Clifton, Lucile forgiving my father, line 3-4) How can a ghost pay debts and asking for more time? It cannot. The word ghost symbolizes the worriment that the speaker has over the unpaid debts and lacks of care. While on the other hand, the father in Roethkes poem, comes home inebriated after a lo ng day just in time for his sons bedtime.The whiskey on your breath/Could make a slim boy dizzy/We romped until the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf/My mothers countenance/Could not unfrown itself. (Roethke, Theodore My Papas Waltz, line 5-8)Envisioning a heavy-drunk man romping through the house with his small son, it is easy to see why a mother may frown at the spectacle. It is nearly time for bed, and the father is doing everything to get the son riles up rather than calm down for sleep. The fact that the romping dance is even disruptingthe order of the mothers kitchen shelf surely contributes to her frowning countenance. Instead of delivery joy and love to their home, neither one of the fathers cares more or less his family. They bring danger to their family and leave unhealed wounds on their children.The father in Cliftons poem is dangerous to the speaker. The relationship between the speaker and her father is marked by resentment and abandonment. In the second stanza of th e poem, the speaker states that her grandfather is also a needy man just like her father.but you were the son of a needy father,/the father of a needy son,(Clifton, line 12-13) With neediness flowing through the family, the speaker is worried about her own destiny. The father in this poem sets a miserable path for the speaker to follow. In comparison to the father in Cliftons poem, the father in Roethkes poem abuses his child physically. The speaker depicts a harsh father-son relationship is that the description of the dancing is violent with systematic child-abuse. The hand that held my wrist/Was battered on one knuckle/At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a buckle./You beat time on my head (Roethke, line 9-13) The father beat time on the childs head and crashes around the room so much that the pans/slid from the kitchen shelf. The word beat is a clear recital of abuse, and the fact that the child is held still by a hand that is itself battered strengthened the sense that manual violence is the subject of the poem.A child doesnt voluntarily use the word beat in the context of an adults relationship to the child unless intending to suggest child-abuse. The image of the fathers smash-up buckle scraping the childs ear in the third stanza confirms the father uses whatever tools are available to accomplish this beating. Furthermore, the child doesnt show up to be enjoying himself. But I hung on like death./Such waltzing was not easy. (Roethke, line 3-4) The child describes the waltz as requiring him to hang on like death is hardly a positive description of something a little boy would welcome. The word death raises the threatening reminder that child-abuse all too often has smutty consequences.In conclusion, both fathers are dangerous to their children. The father inCliftons poem possesses an invisible danger to the speaker while the other father possesses a visible danger to the speaker. However, I learn an important lesson from both poems also, whic h is to appreciate my parents even more. It is because my parents always love me unconditionally. I also learn to forgive others who may have hurt me either physically or emotionally. Often, forgiving someone can be a hard task. It can even be a crime for those who wish never to forgive. Forgiveness must come from the heart, and can be the solution to both parties.