Comparing Poems 'Follower And Chrissy Banks' The Gift

“Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them” - Paulo Cuelho. The two poems: Seamus Heaney’s “Follower” and Chrissy Banks’ “The Gift” each hold a different perspective on the relationship between parents and children. In his poem, Heaney reminisces on his childhood spent on a farm following his father, while Banks writes as a mother from suburbia being cared for by her adolescent son after she has an accident.
Both “Follower” and “The Gift” portray a character’s realisation of the inevitable parentification which occurs as both parent and child grow older, while also redefining the true definition of themselves as a person in the relationship. This is achieved by using poetic devices such as imagery and perspective along with the overall structure of the poems.
The poem “Follower” adheres to a clear ABAB rhyme scheme, thus setting the pace and giving the reader an impression of organisation, while “The Gift” is written in free verse and consequently comes across as messy and unorganised. This structural contrast is especially significant when the storyline of the two poems are brought into account. In her poem, Banks’ character has found herself on the opposite end of the relationship she has with her son, and is subsequently shocked by the role change - hence the fragmented and rambling nature of the poem. Heaney’s poem however, is a character systematically looking back on his early years and slowly running through all of the details of his past and his connection with his father, thus providing a very planned and predictable