Discussing the main theme and features of the poem 'Old Man, Old Man' written by U.A. Fanthorpe.

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Andrew Pitt 11Ma        English

Old Man, Old Man

I am going to be discussing the main theme and features of the poem ‘Old Man, Old Man’ written by U.A. Fanthorpe.

The main theme of this poem is the relationship between and elderly man and his daughter. The relationship is exploited through memories that are brought up throughout the poem. The Old Man used to be a person who “did-it-himself” and didn’t like to accept help from other people. However the father has become unable to deal with what life throws at him by himself and resents help from his daughter, who seems to be quite glad of his weaker state. I believe this to be because she had always wanted to help her father but he would refuse it and now she can make a difference and help him. The old man has a stereotypical view of women. This is shown during the poem as he doesn’t accept help from a woman although it is clear he needs it, he seems to think that a man, or in this case a son is far more able to do things than a daughter, he thinks his daughter is incompetent. “Not good with daughters” (line 12) supports the idea that he would have preferred to have had a son, whether it is because he would find it easier to socialise with or believes they would have more things in common it is not evident, this also tells us that she must be the daughter of this old man hence why she knows so much about him. The old man makes no effort at all to try and socialise with his daughter or respect her. The father is very stubborn and feels ashamed and embarrassed to have had to be helped by his daughter, he feels that he has stooped to a lower level as he can no longer deal with everything himself.

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This is a solemn story mainly because of the father believing he has to be an island. He was independent and never worked on the relationship with his family. As the poem progresses it reveals a depressing tone. The words in italics represent the voice of the old man and the daughter. This helps us understand how U.A. Fanthorpe must have felt. She says to her father “I can see you” and he replied “only as a cloud.” The poem portrays a negative image of the old man, he is a man who “frets” and “rambles” but later on in ...

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