Thursday, August 29, 2019
Compare & Contrast – a Daughter Leaving Home
Compare & Contrast Essay The poem, ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠, by Linda Pastan, depicts the scene of a mother teaching her little girl to ride a bike at the age of eight and watching her master it. Yvor Winterââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is about a father reminiscing about the memory of his daughter growing up and leaving him at the airport. Both these poems speak of the much dreaded time in a parentââ¬â¢s life where their daughterââ¬â¢s grow up and leave their homes. Although the poems appear to be similar because they address the same theme, they differ in form, tone, and imagery.The poems are different in form. In ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠, Linda Pastan uses open form, with no identifiable rhyme pattern or meter. Maybe thereââ¬â¢s no identifiable pattern because these are just the motherââ¬â¢s random thoughts. On the other hand ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠, Yvor Winters uses a closed form that is very d istinctive. There are five stanzas and each stanza has five lines. All the lines rhyme; three have one rhyming ending and the other two also have a rhyming ending.For example: ââ¬Å"This is the terminal: the light/Gives perfect vision, false and hard;/The metal glitters, deep and bright. /Great planes are waiting in the yard-/They are already in the nightâ⬠. Light, bright and night rhyme, as well as hard and yard. Maybe the author chose the closed form because of its structure, controlled and intact, just like he wanted to keep feelings. The tone of ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠differs from the tone in ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠. The tone of ââ¬Å"To A Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠is one of sadness, anxiety and nostalgia.Pastanââ¬â¢s poem is of a mother fondly remembering an earlier time when her daughter took a briefer departure from her, when she was taught to ride her bike at eight years old. The mother wasnââ¬â¢t quite ready to let the da ughter go, as was suggested when she said, ââ¬Å"I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable in the distanceâ⬠. This tells us she was anxious even then about her daughter growing up and being able to do things on her own. In contrast, the tone in ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is very gloomy, less emotional, but still nervous and scared.The father still looks at his daughter as his little girl even though he knows she isnââ¬â¢t and that this is the right time to let her go. He refers to her as ââ¬Å"small, contained and fragileâ⬠. The lines: ââ¬Å"But you and I in part are one: The frightened brain, the nervous will, the knowledge of what must be done,â⬠demonstrates that they are both having similar thoughts and feelings but they are willing to accept this challenge. Though the father is trying to be strong, he confessed that he was momentarily devastated when he said ââ¬Å"the rain of matter upon sense destroys me momentarilyâ⬠.The imagery of ââ¬Å"To A Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠also differs from the imagery of ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠. All the images in ââ¬Å"To a Daughter leaving Homeâ⬠help us to see how the mother is feeling during this time, even though this poem is of an earlier time, foreshadowing what is to come in later years. As her daughter ââ¬Å"wobbled awayâ⬠on her bike, the mother ran right beside her, telling us the kind of mother she was, very supportive. She waited ââ¬Å"for the thudâ⬠and ââ¬Å"sprinted to catch upâ⬠to her daughter. She wanted to always be there to protect her daughter, even as sheââ¬â¢s all grown up.Her daughter growing ââ¬Å"smaller, more breakableâ⬠is her moving further and further away from her mother, getting older, more mature and able to take care of herself, eventually moving out and on with her life as an adult. On the other hand, the images in ââ¬Å"At th e San Francisco Airportâ⬠didnââ¬â¢t show the father as anxious, just reluctant and apprehensive. The father mentioning the ââ¬Å"terminalâ⬠means he looks at the airport terminal as a turning point in their lives, a place where he breaks off from his daughter, staying behind as she moves on with her life.He references planes that ââ¬Å"are already in the nightâ⬠, telling the reader that they are either taking off or already in the air, further emphasizing her leaving him behind. These images reinforce his ââ¬Å"frightened brainâ⬠and ââ¬Å"nervous willâ⬠even though he knows this ââ¬Å"must be doneâ⬠. Though both poems speak about their daughters leaving home, the mother speaks in the past, as if her daughter is still a little girl, but the father acknowledges that though he still views her as a ââ¬Å"smallâ⬠¦fragileâ⬠girl and this ââ¬Å"destroysâ⬠him, ââ¬Å"there comes what will comeâ⬠.On the surface, the works of Linda Pastan and Yvor Winters can be interpreted as similar poems about parents losing their daughters to adulthood. When contrasting the poems, the reader comes to a much different understanding. ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠presents an open form and tone that uses specific images and tone to present this motherââ¬â¢s sadness and anxiety towards the situation. Wintersââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is a closed form poem that uses images and tone to convey the attempt of this father to keep his composure as he sees his daughter off to live her life and become an adult. Compare & Contrast ââ¬â a Daughter Leaving Home Compare & Contrast Essay The poem, ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠, by Linda Pastan, depicts the scene of a mother teaching her little girl to ride a bike at the age of eight and watching her master it. Yvor Winterââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is about a father reminiscing about the memory of his daughter growing up and leaving him at the airport. Both these poems speak of the much dreaded time in a parentââ¬â¢s life where their daughterââ¬â¢s grow up and leave their homes. Although the poems appear to be similar because they address the same theme, they differ in form, tone, and imagery.The poems are different in form. In ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠, Linda Pastan uses open form, with no identifiable rhyme pattern or meter. Maybe thereââ¬â¢s no identifiable pattern because these are just the motherââ¬â¢s random thoughts. On the other hand ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠, Yvor Winters uses a closed form that is very d istinctive. There are five stanzas and each stanza has five lines. All the lines rhyme; three have one rhyming ending and the other two also have a rhyming ending.For example: ââ¬Å"This is the terminal: the light/Gives perfect vision, false and hard;/The metal glitters, deep and bright. /Great planes are waiting in the yard-/They are already in the nightâ⬠. Light, bright and night rhyme, as well as hard and yard. Maybe the author chose the closed form because of its structure, controlled and intact, just like he wanted to keep feelings. The tone of ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠differs from the tone in ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠. The tone of ââ¬Å"To A Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠is one of sadness, anxiety and nostalgia.Pastanââ¬â¢s poem is of a mother fondly remembering an earlier time when her daughter took a briefer departure from her, when she was taught to ride her bike at eight years old. The mother wasnââ¬â¢t quite ready to let the da ughter go, as was suggested when she said, ââ¬Å"I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable in the distanceâ⬠. This tells us she was anxious even then about her daughter growing up and being able to do things on her own. In contrast, the tone in ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is very gloomy, less emotional, but still nervous and scared.The father still looks at his daughter as his little girl even though he knows she isnââ¬â¢t and that this is the right time to let her go. He refers to her as ââ¬Å"small, contained and fragileâ⬠. The lines: ââ¬Å"But you and I in part are one: The frightened brain, the nervous will, the knowledge of what must be done,â⬠demonstrates that they are both having similar thoughts and feelings but they are willing to accept this challenge. Though the father is trying to be strong, he confessed that he was momentarily devastated when he said ââ¬Å"the rain of matter upon sense destroys me momentarilyâ⬠.The imagery of ââ¬Å"To A Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠also differs from the imagery of ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠. All the images in ââ¬Å"To a Daughter leaving Homeâ⬠help us to see how the mother is feeling during this time, even though this poem is of an earlier time, foreshadowing what is to come in later years. As her daughter ââ¬Å"wobbled awayâ⬠on her bike, the mother ran right beside her, telling us the kind of mother she was, very supportive. She waited ââ¬Å"for the thudâ⬠and ââ¬Å"sprinted to catch upâ⬠to her daughter. She wanted to always be there to protect her daughter, even as sheââ¬â¢s all grown up.Her daughter growing ââ¬Å"smaller, more breakableâ⬠is her moving further and further away from her mother, getting older, more mature and able to take care of herself, eventually moving out and on with her life as an adult. On the other hand, the images in ââ¬Å"At th e San Francisco Airportâ⬠didnââ¬â¢t show the father as anxious, just reluctant and apprehensive. The father mentioning the ââ¬Å"terminalâ⬠means he looks at the airport terminal as a turning point in their lives, a place where he breaks off from his daughter, staying behind as she moves on with her life.He references planes that ââ¬Å"are already in the nightâ⬠, telling the reader that they are either taking off or already in the air, further emphasizing her leaving him behind. These images reinforce his ââ¬Å"frightened brainâ⬠and ââ¬Å"nervous willâ⬠even though he knows this ââ¬Å"must be doneâ⬠. Though both poems speak about their daughters leaving home, the mother speaks in the past, as if her daughter is still a little girl, but the father acknowledges that though he still views her as a ââ¬Å"smallâ⬠¦fragileâ⬠girl and this ââ¬Å"destroysâ⬠him, ââ¬Å"there comes what will comeâ⬠.On the surface, the works of Linda Pastan and Yvor Winters can be interpreted as similar poems about parents losing their daughters to adulthood. When contrasting the poems, the reader comes to a much different understanding. ââ¬Å"To a Daughter Leaving Homeâ⬠presents an open form and tone that uses specific images and tone to present this motherââ¬â¢s sadness and anxiety towards the situation. Wintersââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"At the San Francisco Airportâ⬠is a closed form poem that uses images and tone to convey the attempt of this father to keep his composure as he sees his daughter off to live her life and become an adult.
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