Structure
The poem contains 4 stanzas, each containing 6 lines. All of the stanza's have the rhyme scheme of ABCCDC.
- played,way,day
- wash, clash, brash
- hide, abide, countryside
- quite, night, bright
The poem is about the relationship between father and son, and is highlighted with themes of growing up, youth, time and memories.
Content:
In this poem the persona looks back on his youth but compared himself to his son and his younger self. The similarities between himself and his son make him remember his young self.
Analyzing the poem
The first line of the poem uses alliteration and sibilance, 'sarcastic sons slam front doors', a jokey tone towards his son's moody swings and anger. The persona finds his behaviour amusing, knowing that these teenage things were something he'd do. 'I think of Cardiff outskirts where, once, captured acres played', the persona looks back on how he was in his youth. The persona reflects on his childish, fun games, 'acres' are 'small tamed gardens' suggesting his imagination that his ran wild, still being naive and foolish. 'The concrete way', solid traditions and rules is like society's expectations and ideals that have 'supplanted grass, wild flowers', growing up replacing his youth and having to change. 'Now my son is like that, altering everyday', that his son is now acting like how he did. The son is constantly changing, maturing and growing up with time and this shows that nothing stays the same, that Abse's current self is different to his younger self.
In the second stanza, 'those new semis that seem ashamed' to describe himself. The new semi houses feel out of place and that they don't belong there. This is like the feeling of growing up and discovering yourself, something hard to do in your teenage years where you were confused and 'ashamed' if you didn't fit in. 'The frontier of Nowhere' could suggest in youth wanting to find yourself too. Nowhere is given a capital to make it a place, implying that it's somewhere everyone has been and can relate to. The 'chaos clash' of not knowing anything, of who you want to be and what you want to become. being adolescent was both 'prim and brash'. This juxtaposition of two opposites highlights the changing emotions, and a teenager's confusion of wanting to be independent but also wanting to be looked after, and being mature but acting childish. The question mark shows how uncertain growing up is.
The third stanza is quite philosophical, 'strange a London door should slam and I think thus, of Cardiff evenings'. The reference to London, where his son is currently slamming the door is the same as what he did in his hometown. In Cardiff his son shut the door because he wanted to grow up and explore the world, and the persona thinks it's strange for him to do this. Maybe it's because his son is uncomfortable and unfamiliar in this new place, an outsider. The son takes him back to his own past, and makes him remember his youth. Cardiff is described as 'ruins where ghost abide', an 'awkward Anglo-Welsh half town, half countryside', using opposites to describe his son, not knowing where he is and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels 'awkward', and out of place.
'Son, you are like that and I love for it', the persona empathising and understanding his son, representing the good relationship they have. 'In adult rooms the hesitant sense of not belonging quite' shows how his son is trying to be mature but is still in his youth, 'hesitant' to accept he is still a child.
The last three lines seem like a warning, 'Too soon maturity will switch off your night thrust fake electric roots, the nameless becoming wrongly named and your savage darkness bright'. The persona looks back with perspective, his warning is that this will happen to his son too and he should watch what he does. It could imply that his son is going down the wrong path, and the pessimistic view that he will turn out like his father makes it seem like the son's future is limited. 'Darkness bright' is an oxymoron, suggesting that they are together and similar people but are totally different and will have different futures.
In the second stanza, 'those new semis that seem ashamed' to describe himself. The new semi houses feel out of place and that they don't belong there. This is like the feeling of growing up and discovering yourself, something hard to do in your teenage years where you were confused and 'ashamed' if you didn't fit in. 'The frontier of Nowhere' could suggest in youth wanting to find yourself too. Nowhere is given a capital to make it a place, implying that it's somewhere everyone has been and can relate to. The 'chaos clash' of not knowing anything, of who you want to be and what you want to become. being adolescent was both 'prim and brash'. This juxtaposition of two opposites highlights the changing emotions, and a teenager's confusion of wanting to be independent but also wanting to be looked after, and being mature but acting childish. The question mark shows how uncertain growing up is.
The third stanza is quite philosophical, 'strange a London door should slam and I think thus, of Cardiff evenings'. The reference to London, where his son is currently slamming the door is the same as what he did in his hometown. In Cardiff his son shut the door because he wanted to grow up and explore the world, and the persona thinks it's strange for him to do this. Maybe it's because his son is uncomfortable and unfamiliar in this new place, an outsider. The son takes him back to his own past, and makes him remember his youth. Cardiff is described as 'ruins where ghost abide', an 'awkward Anglo-Welsh half town, half countryside', using opposites to describe his son, not knowing where he is and that he doesn't belong anywhere. He feels 'awkward', and out of place.
'Son, you are like that and I love for it', the persona empathising and understanding his son, representing the good relationship they have. 'In adult rooms the hesitant sense of not belonging quite' shows how his son is trying to be mature but is still in his youth, 'hesitant' to accept he is still a child.
The last three lines seem like a warning, 'Too soon maturity will switch off your night thrust fake electric roots, the nameless becoming wrongly named and your savage darkness bright'. The persona looks back with perspective, his warning is that this will happen to his son too and he should watch what he does. It could imply that his son is going down the wrong path, and the pessimistic view that he will turn out like his father makes it seem like the son's future is limited. 'Darkness bright' is an oxymoron, suggesting that they are together and similar people but are totally different and will have different futures.
Links to Larkin
"Now my son is like that, altering every day" - Links to Dockery & Son because it links to how father and son are both alike in there youth."(The last stanza)"- Looking back with perspective could link to Reference back and Love Songs in Age.
This poem links well with Larkin's Dockery & Son because the son in both poems takes the persona back to their own youth, highlighting the similarities between them both. The poem also links to Reference back and Love Songs in Age, this is because the shared music reminds the mother of her youth, much like the persona in Sons.
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