The Late Blizzard Poem By John Clarke
The image as a whole depicts the chaos of an abusive relationship and the effect it has on a family. The collage, along with the poem, can make the reader pray that this kind of mayhem does not bust through their door the way that it busted through Clarke's.
Clarke used '5 winters' instead of 5 years to create an image of the cold and harsh conditions that he was feeling while his father was gone. The icicles hanging on the door represent the time and rigidity that Clarke experienced during his father's absence.
The 'late blizzard' goes along with this as well. Typically, when a blizzard comes later than expected, it is harsher than it should have been because it comes unexpectedly. The image further develops the condition that Clarke was …show more content…
in and helps the reader understand his position. The wind represents the way his father suddenly and ruthlessly entered his life again.
The snow represents the mixed emotions that his father is bringing back into his family. Clarke is feeling uneasy about his father returning. He knows that his father cannot be trusted, but he wants to trust him, nevertheless.
The open door represents the way that his father busted into his family's lives. In the whole collage, everything coming through the door represent the baggage that his father brought with him, creating a feeling of intrusion to the reader.
The words shaped as a fist represent the 'poems' that were littering the table.
These poems were promises by the father that he would be good, but Clarke knows that everything he says is a lie and that he cannot be trusted. The fist represents the pain induced by these lies.
The megaphone represents the 'brazen as brass' words that his father was saying to win his way back into Clarke's life. The way that Clarke set up this scenario made it seem like his father was yelling, which is where the megaphone came into play. The father was boldly declaring that he 'loved loved loved [the mother]' and wanted to return to the family.
The fist represents the father beating the mother. When Clarke says, "I saw his fist fall so gracefully against her cheek, she swooned' it's as if this action is in slow motion, and he cannot believe that it is happening. He cannot fully understand why his father would do this to his mother. Clarke was able to create the image of a young boy watching this occur, vividly in the reader's mind. The image evokes a sense of pity for the child, that he has to witness something as terrible as abuse.
The word violence is representative of the violence that his father brought with him when he returned to his
family.
Promises are represented in this poem by roses; flowers that have the potential to bloom and be beautiful. What supports the rose are its thorns.
Thorns are representative of the lies in this poem. The dark blue thorns lurk over the potentially beautiful roses and completely ruin their value, as the lies engulf the promises that Clarke's father made.
The death of love is represented by the shattered heart lying at the foot of the doorstep. When Clarke's mother fell to the floor after being punched by his father, all possible love for his father shattered as this heart is.
Clarke used '5 winters' instead of 5 years to create an image of the cold and harsh conditions that he was feeling while his father was gone. The icicles hanging on the door represent the time and rigidity that Clarke experienced during his father's absence.
The 'late blizzard' goes along with this as well. Typically, when a blizzard comes later than expected, it is harsher than it should have been because it comes unexpectedly. The image further develops the condition that Clarke was …show more content…
in and helps the reader understand his position. The wind represents the way his father suddenly and ruthlessly entered his life again.
The snow represents the mixed emotions that his father is bringing back into his family. Clarke is feeling uneasy about his father returning. He knows that his father cannot be trusted, but he wants to trust him, nevertheless.
The open door represents the way that his father busted into his family's lives. In the whole collage, everything coming through the door represent the baggage that his father brought with him, creating a feeling of intrusion to the reader.
The words shaped as a fist represent the 'poems' that were littering the table.
These poems were promises by the father that he would be good, but Clarke knows that everything he says is a lie and that he cannot be trusted. The fist represents the pain induced by these lies.
The megaphone represents the 'brazen as brass' words that his father was saying to win his way back into Clarke's life. The way that Clarke set up this scenario made it seem like his father was yelling, which is where the megaphone came into play. The father was boldly declaring that he 'loved loved loved [the mother]' and wanted to return to the family.
The fist represents the father beating the mother. When Clarke says, "I saw his fist fall so gracefully against her cheek, she swooned' it's as if this action is in slow motion, and he cannot believe that it is happening. He cannot fully understand why his father would do this to his mother. Clarke was able to create the image of a young boy watching this occur, vividly in the reader's mind. The image evokes a sense of pity for the child, that he has to witness something as terrible as abuse.
The word violence is representative of the violence that his father brought with him when he returned to his
family.
Promises are represented in this poem by roses; flowers that have the potential to bloom and be beautiful. What supports the rose are its thorns.
Thorns are representative of the lies in this poem. The dark blue thorns lurk over the potentially beautiful roses and completely ruin their value, as the lies engulf the promises that Clarke's father made.
The death of love is represented by the shattered heart lying at the foot of the doorstep. When Clarke's mother fell to the floor after being punched by his father, all possible love for his father shattered as this heart is.