There is only one similarity in the theme of both poems. They both are poems about a certain person who is different to society. Old Father is about a black man living in England denying his roots:
“That don’t like serving black people.”
This emphasises that, he has changed into someone different, someone who he is not. It also suggests that he is trying to impersonate a ‘white man’. Another way he does this, is by insulting black people:
“And he crack joke with them white people on we.”
This suggests that he is showing them that he is not a black man. He may look like one, but in his own mind he is not. In my opinion, I would say he loves living in London. However, we have no evidence why he does not go back to the Caribbean.
There are also a series of differences between the two poems in the themes between the two poems. In Old Father we realise that he loves England:
“His roots have no meaning now. ”
So he likes it in England and doesn’t want to leave England. He has also forgotten who he is. He is trying to be like the ‘White Man’, not the black man that he really is. We also see that he has changed into someone different:
“Coloured girls no good for he.”
This shows that he has totally changed into someone different, as he is coloured and not going out with coloured girls. However, he is going out with girls with a ‘Blonde’ hair and wearing clothes that are ‘cream or beige’ not. All these prove to show that he is no longer a coloured man to us. When in reality he is coloured from the outside, but inside he feels that he is a white man. The public looks at him and say:
“He’s an example to his people.”
This suggests that people look at him and see that he is making a fool of himself, and that he is just like them suggesting that he is a strange person.
Island man is different to this. Island man is about a Caribbean man living in London:
“And island man wakes up
to the sound of the surf.”
So he is waking up to the seaside in his own country. The second line has alliteration in it. This emphasises the fact that he is waking up hearing the sound of the surf. However, he is half-asleep, so he is dreaming. This also brings imagery as we can imagine the sea surf in our mind. Also he dos not like living in London and prefers living back home in the Caribbean:
“Island man heaves himself
Another London day”
So this emphasises that living in London you have no life. You do the same thing everyday. However, where he comes from he enjoys himself, as he is free not trapped.
When it comes to the language of the two poems in my opinion I would say that there is not much to say. Old Father is written in a West Indian dialect. So there is no language techniques used. Also the language is West Indian, it is not in clear English.
However, in Island man it is slightly different. A foreigner also wrote it. The poem only has one dialect. However, there are some forms of language used. There is metaphor’s used:
“The sun surfacing defiantly.”
This emphasises that the sun is surfacing defiantly. It shows colour imagery as it makes a picture in our minds of the sun surfacing the seaside and the rest of the country. Also another used is onomatopoeia:
“Muffling muffling”
This emphasises that he is making noises on the pillow as he tries to get comfortable sleeping on it.
As a conclusion I would say both the poems are very strange as they are not written in Modern English but they are unique as they are original poems.
