Stuff

“A Story” All parents dread to see their children growing up, and realizing how fast life for them is passing by. The young boy in this poem grows older and there are other things that begin to grab his attention. He starts to replace his father, so that at some point he can begin to face what we call life realties. In this poem called “The Story” the author, Li-Young Lee shifts from a joyful tone to a very emotional tone utilizing literary devices; imagery, point of view and structure to show the complex relationship between the father and the son. First off, imagery is strongly used in this poem. The authors purpose is to show the love the father has for his son as well as his fears. In a couple lines throughout the story we see some examples of imagery; a “five-year-old son” waits in his father’s lap until he hears another story. A room is “full” with all the books in the world, but the father hesitates and “rubs his chin” instead. The imagery of father’s love for his son is so strong that even though the room is full of books, he still can’t decide which one to read for his son. However, behind all the love that a father has for his child, the father begins to fall into a deep thinking of his son “giving up” on him. In the fourth stanza, Lee continues to create a vivid image of the son leaving his dad’s side. “The alligator story”, “the angel story”, and “the spider story” couldn’t even stop his young son from “packing his shirts”. The father yells and shouts “Don’t go!” without realizing that his undefinable love has turned into an obsession that suddenly makes himself a failure for watching his son leave. The images of the father chasing his son who has just walked out prove the tragic cycle of growing up as well as the father’s nature to love his son. It wasn’t the nameless story that the father couldn’t figure out that made the father “silent”, but his uncontrolled love for his son that made him “scream” and wonder if he can ever become a “god” who