Poem Analysis: Weldon Kees For My Daughter

A Father and Daughter’s Strife There’s one question that every couple asks at some point in their relationship, one which could determine its future and fate. This big question? The choice whether or not to have children. Weldon Kees, a 19th century poet, wrestles with this very question in “For my Daughter.” Kees authored this poem during the tail end of the Great Depression, right before America’s entry into the Second World War. This was a time in which people were struggling to survive, and women had no place of stature. When reading the poem, this little bit of background helps us to better understand what is meant by the written words. The last line of the poem sets the president for one’s view of the piece in its entirety. Kees’ poem ends by saying “I have no daughter[,] I desire none” (14). One may believe, after reading this, that the poem is one man’s thought process leading up to the decision not to have a daughter. Professor Marina agrees with this point stating, “[the speaker] reveal[s] that he does not have a daughter, and for these reasons desires none” (Marina) Another explanation, which I find intriguing, is that this poem is about a man whose daughter’s died. Looking into her eyes, he realizes his baby girl is gone and tries to
It appears that the speaker is telling his daughter that she has two potential fates that will befall her since she has not heeded his wisdom. The first fate being sickness which could potentially lead to death. We see evidence for this in the lines which state “Death is certain war, the slim legs green” (9) Green is a color that tends to represent sickness. Slim legs might just be a representation of being skinny, but with green to describe it, I’d say these skinny legs are the result of illness. This makes sense as this poem was written on the tail end of the great depression, a time when being poor and sick was