Question 1:
Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
Question 2:
How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?
Answers
Answer 1:
Though the poem seems to talk exclusively of the personal experiences of a father, it is fairly universal in the problems that it addresses from the father’s perspective. At the surface, the poem communicates the pain and helplessness of a father who wishes to mend the differences with his son in order to be with him. However, the theme of the poem is universal. Generation gap and lack of communication between parents and children are quite common these days. It speaks of the pain that parents go through due to being distanced from their children, both physically and emotionally.
Answer 2:
The helplessness of the father is highlighted through the depiction of the emotional struggle that he undergoes. He is aware of the problem and is willing to resolve it, but is unable to do so. He regrets the lack of a strong emotional bond and proper communication with his son who is also physically distanced from him.
Explanation:
The poem is an autobiographical poem, but its appeal is fairly universal. What is portrayed in the poem, is a common occurrence between any father and son.
The father helplessness is brought out very poignantly in the poem. The father and the son do not talk to each other and, so, only silence prevails. The father does not want his son to be separated from him, but it is in vain.