The
relationship between a father and his son a is bond that starts
before birth. A father acts as a role model for the impressionable
boy. A father teaches his son life lessons hes going to need in
order to face the real world. A father draws out the map to a happy
life using his own life experience for his son. A son admires his
father, the most influential exemplar. A son learns what it is to
be a man from the most macho example of masculinity he knows: his
father. But, a son can also become afraid, reluctant, and
skeptical. Advice to My Son by Peter Meinke and Elegy for My
Father, Who Is Not Dead by Andrew Hudgins are an excellent example
of poems with the ideas and wisdom of a father and the naiveness
and doubtfulness of a
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In both of the
poems, the fathers are very faithful to their religion and are
incredibly caring about their sons as well. A similarity is present
where it is suggested that a key to happiness in life is this
faithfulness in God or to religion in general. In Advice, Meinke
mentions in the second to last stanza on lines 19 to 21 to Show
your soul to one man, // work with another; // and always serve
bread with your wine. This is an allusion to Christianity and The
Last Supper. In this instance, the father is instructing his son to
be honest with God and work with Jesus to be a kind and forgiving
person. Elegy does not go this far, but it still alludes to
religion and faith. On lines three through six, Hudgins writes, In
the sureness of his faith, he talks // about the world beyond this
world // as though his reservations have // been made. Here, the
son speaks of his fathers devotion to his belief in the
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Meinke uses a
lot of oxymoronic phrases like, The trick is, to live your days //
as if each one may be your last //
but at the same time, plan
long range // (lines 1-2, 5). He uses these to give out his
messages in moderation, almost like a balance for his words and
statements. In lines three and four, he expounds on that by making
the remark, (for they go fast, and sound men lose their lives //
in strange and unimaginable ways). This means that no one will
ever know when, where, or how they will die. Meinke uses lines five
through ten to contradict himself and explain more about what
should be done. He tells the reader to not rush through life, but
rather, enjoy the moments. In a way, he explains to his son that if
he doesnt enjoy life, its going to feel like forever! He then
makes the point that whether or not you enjoy the moment or not
doesnt change that fact that youre going to end up in the same
place. The only thing that will change is how much he can actually
get out of life. Hudgins applies the contradictions between the
thoughts of life of the son and of those of his father. He thinks
that when I follow him // hell wrap me in his arms and laugh, //
the way he did when I arrived // on earth. I do not think hes
right. // Hes ready. I am not
(lines 10-14). This conflict of
views could possibly be due to an estrangement that is
present
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