Question

What is the above poem about?
A) The author thinks about the sacrifices his father made for him in his childhood
B) It is about a child’s relationship with his/her parent
C) It conveys that life is sacred and we should not give it away no matter what
D) It deals with the choices that people have to make in life

Answer 1

Hint: This question is from the poem named, “Father to Son” which is written by Elizabeth Jennings. Jennings is one of the finest British poets of the twentieth century and she is known to have written poems on themes like; love, religion, death, etc. The purpose of her poems is to engage with the numerous people who have suffered what she has or have shared experiences.

Complete answer:
The father says that, though they had lived under the same roof for years, he doesn’t understand him. He doesn’t know anything about his son and even if he tried to rebuild a relationship with him (similar to the one when he was a young child), it was in vain.

He further says that even though the father and the son look similar, he doesn’t know what his son loves. He admits the communication gap and lack of understanding between the two and mentions that they speak like strangers.

The son is in a different place that his father cannot access due to their distances. He is ready to forgive his prodigal son and wants to accept him back to the house. The father is longing to love his son and doesn’t want him to move around the world.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (B) It is about a child’s relationship with his/her parent.

Note: At the end of the poem, the son speaks for himself. He believes that he is at a point in his life where he cannot understand himself. He too is sad about the ever-increasing distance between them and he is angry due to the grief and sadness. They both reach out an empty hand towards each other but neither of them holds it. Not because they don’t want to forgive each other, but because they can't find a solution to the problem.