Question

The central idea of this poem is that a man and his son happily bond while on a fishing trip. Write a paragraph that describes how the structure of the poem helps to express this central idea. Use at least three details from the text to support your response.

Answer 1

A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip—

There is a glorious fellowship!

Father and son and the open sky

And the white clouds lazily drifting by,

And the laughing stream as it runs along

With the clicking reel like a martial song,

And the father teaching the youngster gay

How to land a fish in the sportsman's way.

I fancy I hear them talking there

In an open boat, and the speech is fair.

And the boy is learning the ways of men

From the finest man in his youthful ken.

Kings, to the youngster, cannot compare

With the gentle father who's with him there.

And the greatest mind of the human race

Not for one minute could take his place.Which is happier, man or boy?

The soul of the father is steeped in joy,

For he's finding out, to his heart's delight,

That his son is fit for the future fight.

He is learning the glorious depths of him,

And the thoughts he thinks and his every whim;

And he shall discover, when night comes on,

How close he has grown to his little son.

A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip—

Builders of life's companionship!

Oh, I envy them, as I see them there

Under the sky in the open air,

For out of the old, old long-ago

Come the summer days that I used to know,When I learned life's truths from my father's lips

As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips

Answer 2

Answer:

The central idea of this poem is a man and his son happily bond while on a fishing trip.  Firstly the description in this poem is lively and vivid, giving off a happy feeling.  Examples such as 'the laughing stream' and 'the clicking reel like a martial song' prove this.  It's also talking about the happiness of the two, which are shown with the words 'steeped with joy' and 'glorious depths.'  It also asks near the end, 'who is happier, man or boy?' which proves that the author is trying to express the bonding between the two.  As you can see, the meaning of this poem is that a father and his son are gladly bonding while fishing.  

3/25/2021