Compare and Contrast 'My Father Thought it Queer', 'We Remember Your Childhood Well', 'The Affliction of Margaret' and 'On My First Sonne.'

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Compare and Contrast ‘My Father Thought it Queer’, ‘We Remember Your Childhood Well’, ‘The Affliction of Margaret’ and ‘On My First Sonne.’

        

All the poems are about the relationship between parent and child. It evolves around the emotions that connect parent and child and the love or hate that evolves around them.

        

        The situation in ‘My Father Thought it Queer’ shows the relationship between Father and Son. We perceive the son’s assertion of independence and the Father’s disapproval. The son or the poet has had his ear pierced and earns his Fathers scorn and displeasure with what he has done.

        Although the child is trying to be rebellious, he has a friend pierce it for him with a gun, unlike the other lads who use a pin. He cries after the piercing due to the incredible pain as the wound becomes infected.

The poem is ambiguous at the end as some would perceive the sentence in italics as his own conscience telling him that it wasn’t such a great idea or it could be seen as his Fathers words staying with him and him realising that it wasn’t so great after all. The removal of the earring could also be perceived as his signs of wisdom or maturity.

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The word ‘queer’ can be understood as being homosexual, as ear piercing on men started in a homosexual band named Wham or it could be taken as the word stupid or different.

The poem, ‘We Remember Your Childhood Well’, is a very disturbing and invidious as the parents of the grown up Women deny the disturbing statements put towards them. The poem is about denial and the way Parents can manipulate a situation and eventually end up contradicting themselves making the poem seem very patronising at times for the Women and the reader. The poem has a clear ...

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