Comparing Mother, Among The Dustbins And Hymn To God The Father

Contrasting Faiths “Mother, Among the Dustbins” by Steve Smith is a poem is about the narrator telling his mother about his faith in God. In “Hymn to God the Father” by John Donne the speaker is atoning for his sins to God. Both poems center around faith in God. Smith’s poem employs an ironic tone to faith in God while Donne’s poem brings a confessional tone. Both authors have their speakers admit to their faith and apply rhyme to achieve their message about God. Donne’s poem centers around the narrator confessing their sins. Beginning with their personal sins and then proceeding to apologize for leading other people to sin, the speaker describing it as they “…made my sin their door?” (9) These confessions are showing the narrator's devotion

He changes this format on his last stanza, lines 13-20. Instead of a three-line stanza, this is a seven-line stanza and the 19th line: “Can you question the folly of a man in the creation of God?” interrupts the last rhyme. Both the longer stanza and the interrupted rhyme brings attention to line 19. Smith wants this line to be an interruption to the reader, so the reader brings more of their attention to the line. While the narrator may be speaking to his mother, Smith is talking to the reader asking the reader this question as well. The last line of the poem is also in a different format, it follows the rhyme, but it’s indented. The speaker in line 20 is saying “Who are you?” this also draws the attention of the reader. Same concept with the last line Smith is asking the reader this question. These questions are questioning other people’s faith in God. The narrator is implying that the concept of God foolish since men are foolish. Lines 19 and 20 interrupt the flow and make the poem feel more unorthodox. The rhyme in Donne’s poem “Hymn to God the Father” creates a different effect. The rhyme is completed in an “A B A” fashion that creates a sense of completeness in the poem that Smiths poem doesn’t have. Donne also uses the same two words at the end of each stanzas rhyme. “Done” and “more” are at the ends, but not used the same way. In stanzas, one and two the poem says “When thou

They are apologizing for their wrongdoings and wishes to be forgiven by God. In the first stanza, the narrator apologizes for all the sins they have done personally, in the next stanza they apologize for leading others to sin. In the last paragraph, the speaker specifically speaks to their fear of God, and how that sin is their worst sin. The character points out this sin specifically saying, “I have a sin of fear…” (13) By the end of the stanza, they say that they do not carry this fear anymore. The speaker is not making excuses they are completely putting themselves out to God’s judgment asking for forgiveness. The speaker in Smiths poem, however, doesn’t address God himself, only addresses the idea of God. In the poem, the speaker is confessing their negative view of God to their mother. The character asks a few unanswered questions towards their mother as if having a discussion. The confession by the speaker in Smiths poem is more casual then the confession in Donne’s poem because the speaker in Smiths poem is not addressing a higher power figure like God, they are talking to their mother, someone who they respect, but not the same relationship they would have if it were God they were talking