The second Stanza relates more to the later stages of the child’s development, possibly the last few weeks before birth, though even though the time of arrival is drawing ever closer the sense of the unknown does not lessen but the mother’s anticipation grows ever greater. Line one of the second stanza states that the child is, ‘Vague as fog and looked for like mail, could possibly be an indication of how little is known about the child. Vague as fog may possibly show that the mother does not know much about her child, perhaps not even its gender, that it is still obscure. There is also the image of a scan, in which the formation of the child is only visible, as is the outline of any object in thick fog. ‘Looked for like mail’ would perhaps mean that the mother knows that the child is there though not how it will turn out, mirroring the fact the subject of a letter is unknown unless it is opened and read, as well as mail sometimes being anticipated just like a newborn. Farther off than Australia, represents a different way of life, something the baby will have to overcome when born, after months in the alien world off the mothers womb. Australia is a place where many people emigrate and start a new life just as the child will be somewhere far from what they are accustomed to. Bent backed atlas is probably a referral to the Greek god who was said to hold the world on his shoulders, crouched and hunched, unable to move. The Baby’s position would perhaps reflect this, as it would now be too large to manoeuvre is the womb as it has grown from a small travelled prawn. Travelled being in a metaphorical sense as in travelled through the stages of growth rather than moved, comparisons to a prawn is once again another referral to marine life and perhaps the Childs shape during the early stages of development. Snug as a bud obviously echoes ‘snug as a bug’, meaning the child would feel comfortable in it’s cramped but also warm and protected environment. The word bud could also refer to the start of new life in plants, starting off as a bud depending on nutrients in the soil to grow but soon thriving on its own. Line 14, like a sprat in a pickled jug obviously refers to the amniotic fluid and how the child will be ‘preserved’ and tightly packed in to the womb until ready to be born. A sprat is a fish, which gives us another reference to water dwelling animals. ‘A creel of eels, all ripples, for the first time describes the child’s movement showing we are getting closer to the actual birth. Note the assonance within this comparison. The child is now constantly moving, though now in unexpected movements as though wriggling rather than somersaulting as it does when smaller, the description of unexpected movements is carried on when the child is said to be jumpy as a Mexican bean. These beans have a small insect inside them and jump at random, just like the baby moves inside the mother unexpectedly. The weevil, which implants itself in the bean, also reflects the baby living inside the mother and produces the slightly strange comparison of the mother being like the bean, a haven for the thing living inside. Line seventeen states the child to be ‘right, like a well done sum’ Automatically giving us the image of a classroom and the child’s future but meaning that the development inside the womb is now complete and the child is ready to be brought in to the world. The last line of the poem, ‘a clean slate with your face on’ again has an underlying reference to a classroom, a slate ready to be marked, though it also shows the child will come in to the world impressionable and susceptible to the people around but it will also grow in to a unique person, with it’s own mind, feelings and ambitions, it will be an individual. There is no real rhyming pattern in this poem, it is more based on imagery rather than trying to introduce a rhyming scheme.
The second poem that we dealt with was written by Thomas Hood, a well-known humorist of which was relatively rare back in the 1800’s. An era more known for the serious works of novelists such as Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens, here we have a poem which seems at first to be a dedication of a fathers undying love for his offspring, yet it turns out to be humorously written dealing with the reality that parents throughout time have had face, the constant mewling, fidgeting and dangerous curiosity that every child is born with. Each stanza opens with the father praising his child reflecting the usual feelings most parents hold for their young ones. The child is referred to many times during the poem as an elf or sprite, something other than a normal child, something magical, taking us away from the reality of parenthood and giving an aura of the unknown as was carried all the way through Sylvia Plath’s poem. The first image that we are given is that of a perfect child ‘Thou happy, happy elf!’ yet this is then broken down by the father saying ‘But stop, let me kiss away that tear’, this doesn’t really tie in with the happiness of the first line. The first of many contradictions, though the later are a lot more humorous, the first of which being ‘my love he’s poking pea’s into his ear!’ this after the father stating the child to be the exact image of himself. The way each line negates the next works brilliantly in keeping the reader entertained, as it can be related to by all parents, perhaps even more than the expectation of birth relayed in You’re. The child is said to be a merry laughing sprite with spirits feather light, showing him to be free of worry and innocent, when it is clear that he is anything but, as he is letting his curiosity get the better of him despite his parents repeated attempts to stop him endangering himself. While Sylvia Plath made many referrals to water and marine based life, Thomas hood makes many references to other worldliness, perhaps suggesting that a baby is actually something magical as this is the feeling most parent get when they take their place in the great continuity of life. The baby is labelled tricksy puck, a character from Shakespeare’s ‘A midsummer nights Dream’. This character was a small very mischievous creature, the chief elf that turned one of the plays main characters into a donkey, this is showing that the father loves his son for his playful nature. Each Stanza starts alternate lines rhyming, followed by rhyming couplets and a rhyming triplet at the end. This is very different to the more modern poem as that was more focused on building image and relaying feelings rather than having any particular rhyming scheme. It is obvious that this poem was written pre 20th century because of the use of archaic language particularly in the title and occasionally in the poem itself, hence the words ‘sire’ meaning father and ‘ode’, a lyrical poem, often an emotion wrought dedication, though another humorous aspect of this poem is the many contradictions throughout. The child is also said to be wearing a pinafore, this was the usual in the 1800’s as both genders wore similar clothes at such a young age.
Throughout both poems new images come with almost every line, many of which produce a similar images to one another. For instance Thomas Hood describes his son as being unsoiled by sin, this is very similar to Sylvia Plath’s mention of being the child being a clean slate with your face on. Both parents realise their child will have temptations in life but that they will hopefully overcome these and act with individuality. During the second stanza the child is referred to as a cherub, an angelic being, tying in with innocence, an unblemished conscience and perhaps beauty. Then the father describes his child as a fit play fellow for the fairies, once again painting the image of an almost supernatural creature, yet we know nothing yet to see the child as being extraordinary, yet his parents believe him high enough to be described as a baby angel. This is another reference to other worldliness, maybe not magical but still something of the unknown. Though this line was preceded by Thomas Hood describing his son as an idol to himself and his wife, an idol is respected beyond love, an idol is worshipped, an idol is something of god-like proportions though we know the child is one of a million others, it shows the power of a parents love goes beyond that of any other. Throughout the poem we get the impression of a powerful desire from the father to protect his child, as his work is interrupted every other sentence, yet he does not at any point lose his temper with the boy, he only panics when the child seems to be in danger. Many a person’s patience would be tested in this situation, yet parents put up with so much more than this and still are more interested in the child’s well being over their own personal matters. When the author describes his child as being a tiny image of himself, we can see the parental desire that their child will be like him, a feeling most parents know. This may be some underlying assurance for the parent as the child faces the future, the hope they will turn out just a good, rather than having no idea of what is to be faced in the future. Both poems are directly addressed to the child and both describe the parents view and feelings, yet the recipients of all this praise would not be able to understand the meaning. The last stanza of the poem is perhaps the most humorous part of the poem, the more tolerant of the two parents, the mother, is requested to move the object of the beautiful ode from the sight of the author for he is unable to concentrate with the child in room. His wife the first to hear the wonderful piece of work can therefore no longer be a spectator but has to succumb to the reality that is parenthood and pay all of her attention to the young child. For all the magic, awe and romance involved in being a parent, good parents cannot shy away from the monotonous tasks, whether it is constant watch over the child or sleepless nights but in the end all of this work must be worth it to any parent, when they watch their child grow. As stated earlier, the situations of many families are so different they can range from extreme poverty to royalty, yet parental love would be the same, both parents would try to give all they can to the child an it has and always will be the same. The similarities between these poems also emphasize the fact the wonderful moment of birth and lifetime of moulding a child will always be one of the most beautiful and rewarding moments a person can experience.
The third and final poem we analysed, was entitled ‘Upon my son Samuel his going for England, Novem. 6, 1657’ by author Ann Bradstreet and is probably the more powerful of the three. Written in the 1600’s, it deals with the heartbreak and anguish a mother suffers when her son departs to forge a new life for himself far away and her anxieties of whether he will return. While the previous poems are about the joy and happiness a child can bring, this poem deals with the torment every parent also has to endure throughout the child’s life and perhaps the worst of these situations is when the parent realises the child is old enough to fend for themselves and that their guidance is no longer heeded. ‘Upon my son Samuel’ seems to reflect the lord’s prayer, with the author’s plea’s to God to bring her son back ‘ Thou mighty God of sea and land’ indicating the poem this time is not addressed directly to the child but to God himself. The intimacy in this poem is obvious from the first word to the last. While the first flows freely and the second, has a humorous angle to it, this poem is designed to spark an emotion from the reader much different to that of the other two. Upon reading each, we can all connect to Thomas Hood’s poem, as we know how children behave and while most adults can understand ‘You’re’, few could imagine the sorrow felt by the mother sending her son of in to the unknown not knowing whether he would ever return. The poem opens with a the mother resigning her son in to the hands off God as that is her probable only known comfort, thinking that God will watch over her son. The lady is obviously a faithful person and the thought that whatever happens in their time apart is meant to be, will perhaps be some sort of consolation to her. The scheme of Rhyming couplets adds some sort of inevitability to what will happen owing ‘You’re’ gives no sense of what is to be said, while it also adds clarity to an already powerful poem. The iambic quatrameters are on the whole more like the pattern of normal speech than the other two, while the ode is more dignified and careful of what is said, while this poem seems to come straight from the heart with nothing left out, it is simply displaying the innermost feelings and anxieties of a mother in great distress. There are quite a few forms of archaic words throughout the play, particularly the use of thou in addressing the shipwreck, which only adds to the clarity of the prayer while also setting it in context of the time in which it was written. It is obvious even from just reading the first three lines that the mother is consigning her sons life over to God, knowing that there is nothing more she can do to protect the thing she had nurtured, watched grow and was as much of a part of her as anything and the effect of that rejection would be devastating, ‘ the child I stay’d for many years’.
She states that God gave her a child, a representative of all things Christian and that even though she is the mother of the child, he belongs more to the lord than her. Although it soon becomes obvious that the woman went through years of misery in trying to conceive this child, she willingly consigns him over to God, still thankful that she was given the chance to raise a child, yet she is reliving the anguish of once again not knowing whether she will ever have a son. ‘No friend I have like thee to trust, for mortal helps are little dust’, the woman is referring to God as her friend rather than a distant deity, something of the unknown. It becomes even more apparent the woman is a devout Christian and trust nobody put her creator, she may feel as if she is handing her son over to a friend rather than sending him in the unknown. We all know that no human is perfect and we are all predisposed to temptations and many things unchristian and this women relationship with God somehow reminds us that we are all mortal and equal, compared to Our father. The simple use of language contrasts well with some of the archaic forms, as we have the poetic style throughout but mixed with the clarity it adds an extra dimension I believe the other to poems lack. The mother now says a prayer for herself, though rather than pleading for God to help her through, her son once again is the centre of her prayer. She places herself second in importance behind her son once again, stating that if she passes away before her son returns, she will be happy as it is Gods will and that she will indeed be waiting for her child in heaven. It shows beyond anything we have read in any of the three poems that a parent’s love is so deep, so passionate, that they without a second thought would give up their lives for their children. Despite all her own worries for her son, she will still worship the lord even if her son does die while away from home although she expresses that she would rather pass away to than live in despair for the rest of her life. The assonance of space and spare does give a sense of acceptance in the mothers eyes that this was meant to be and there was no way that she would stop it, but while Thomas Hood could stop his child doing anything it is obvious there comes an age when parents have to let go for children to fulfil their full potential, yet although parents know this it does not make it any easier when the time comes. It is apparent that the mother has so much belief in God that she believes if her son dies she will see him again in heaven and be with him for an eternity, though she never loses the hope that God will heed her prayer’s and her beloved child will return to his mothers protective arms and she yearns for this so much she states she will praise God forever, ‘That I may see his face, then shall I celebrate thy praise’.
The basic Idea of each poem is quite different especially the third compared to the other two, although all contain the aspect of the intensity of parental love. Many think we all experience love at some stage of our lives yet the mutual love between a child and parent is much deeper than any other. And it is apparent that the strength of this love does not weaken as time passes but that it only gets stronger despite the agony and pain many parents suffer it only brings them closer in the long-run. Each poem addresses a different stage in the child’s life, are written in completely different eras and are dealing with a vast range of emotions, yet all are primarily focused on the love that they hold for there offspring. The first poem deals with the side every person expects when they have a child, the feeling of wholeness, of satisfying completeness yet the anticipation of stepping in to the unknown. This is the more pleasurable side of nurturing children, watching them grow, dreaming of the future, hearing their ambitions yet reality as with most aspects of life is very different. Children’s curiosity is an essential part of life when developing, at the age of three we begin to develop the distinction between what is right and wrong. This is what Thomas Hood deals with in his poem, despite realising the difficulty in raising his son, he is still heaping praise upon him, showing that maybe when it comes to children, love maybe indeed, blind. This poem shows that of course children need parental guidance for many years of there life but as we see in ‘Upon my son Samuel’ there comes a time when a child has to leave the nest and their parents protective love in order to achieve full fulfilment. This poem also gives the reader the an idea of the unbearable pain felt when having to let a part of you leave, I’m sure every parent must also feel some sort of pride in this situation, though in Ann Bradstreet’s poem any other emotion that she may be feeling is masked by her grief. Each poem was clearly written in a different era with the modern one more flowing and the earlier two, sticking to a particular rhyming scheme. The use of archaic language in the pre-twentieth century poems, I believe add a sense of clarity even in thee humorous ode. Yet despite the time difference all of the poems written and those that will be written in the future on this subject, will contain a line or perhaps more that certainly comes from the heart and speaks clearly to all generations..
