Comparing 'Ode To My Socks And' Advice To My Son

I read “Ode to My Socks” by Pablo Neruda and “Advice to My Son” by J. Peter Meinke. In the first reading “Ode to My Socks”, there is a boy who receives a gift of a pair of hand knitted wool socks from a woman named Maru Mori. He is amazed by these socks and describes them as,
“Two socks as soft as rabbits”.
As he slips his feet into these magical socks,
“I slipped my feet into them as though into two cases knitted with threads of twilight and goat skin”
He feels as if his feet are not good enough to wear such beautiful items. He compares his feet to two long sharks, immense black birds, and cannons. He seems to be honored to wear such socks. In this reading he describes in such wonderful detail how truly amazing these socks made of wool
really are. It is as if he puts them on with admiration and great pride. This reading sends out a marvelous message as well, it reminds us that things are not always as good as they may seem; they are better. In the reading “Advice to My Son”, there is a father who is giving advice to his son. This father in the reading basically tells his son to take advantage of the opportunities he is offered in life. It is also a reading about love, the love a father has for his son and all the good things he wants his son to have in life.
“The trick is to live your days as if each one may be your last”
This father is basically telling his son to live his life to the fullest, to experience all the good and bad things life has to offer one.
“For they go fast, and young men lose their lives”
He explains to his son in other words to be careful with the decisions he makes and how he lives his life because there are consequences and making a mistake in a wrongful decision can affect you and your life forever.
“But at the same time plan long range”. The message I get from these two reading are value and love.
In “Ode to My Socks” this boy receives a pair of socks which he values a lot, and this value he has for these socks have a lot to do with whom and where they came from. This woman Maru Mori gives these socks to him which is valuable just because she had made them for him herself. Just like in “Advice to My Son”, this father values the life of his child and wants nothing but the best for him just like any other parent would. He gives his son this valuable advice and I’m sure it means something to the father who is writing it and to the son who receives it. It is valuable advice as well. These readings teach you to love the same things in life, like the boy in “Ode to My Socks” love these little socks and the father in “Advice to My Son” tells his boy to appreciate the little things, such as bread and wine. I enjoyed these two readings because they really bring memories to mind. While reading these stories, I can relate my own experiences to them, like having an item of value that someone I love has given me, or even getting meaningful advice from someone who loves me. These readings are fun and playful; they let you use your imagination with the descriptive detail and comparing them to animals and textures used. They really bring you into the
readings.
“Between the peony and the rose plant, squash and spinach, turnips and tomatoes; beauty is nectar” – (quote from “Advice to My Son”)
“They were so handsome for the first time my feet seemed to me unacceptable like two decrepit firemen, firemen unworthy of that woven fire, of those glowing socks.” – (quote from “Ode to My Socks”) In conclusion I liked these readings and believe that the narrators in these readings wrote these with tons of emotion and imagination. They express love and passion for people or items that people of importance have given them. These readings each send out an important message that basically are similar, they both tell their reader that love can be from an inanimate object or from the words of a wise man but they are both just as meaningful.