Question

Describe the universal appeal of the poem 'father to son'

Answer 1

The universal appeal of the poem rests on the fact that this is the story of every parent-child relationship.It develops as a need-based relationship with the parent tending to the child's every need,care and whims. But then as the child grows up,his life becomes independent of the parent's assistance, he formulates a different way of living, ideologies, thoughts and beliefs. They become strangers to each other as we see in the poem. This poem reaches out to people because everyone has been a child to their parent or every person is or will be a parent someday. So, they can connect with the sentiments of the father here who cannot fathom how this same child could have grown up into an adult and become so different. However, one learns to make amends and respect the differences because the love that is between them is too strong to be extinguished.

Answer 2

The universal appeal of the poem rests on the fact that this is the story of every parent-child relationship.It develops as a need-based relationship with the parent tending to the child's every need,care and whims. But then as the child grows up,his life becomes independent of the parent's assistance, he formulates a different way of living, ideologies, thoughts and beliefs. They become strangers to each other as we see in the poem. This poem reaches out to people because everyone has been a child to their parent or every person is or will be a parent someday. So, they can connect with the sentiments of the father here who cannot fathom how this same child could have grown up into an adult and become so different. However, one learns to make amends and respect the differences because the love that is between them is too strong to be extinguished.