Poem At Thirty Nine Memory Theme

How is the theme of remembrance explored in “Piano”, “Poem at Thirty Nine”, “Remember” and three other poems? The theme of remembrance is often reflected in poems through the poets’ use of language, structure and literary devices. This presents readers with a sense of time, evoking the poet’s powerful emotions. “Piano”, “Poem at Thirty Nine” and “Remember” are three poems that shows poets remembrance of powerful memories. In “Piano”, the author is brought back to the ideal lifestyle of his childhood, through the sound of a piano. A recollection of an author’s unordinary childhood is also seen in “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe. In “Poem at Thirty Nine”, the great qualities and unconditional love from a father are missed. Another ancestor is mentioned

Enjambment is used throughout the free verse poem to make memories free flowing. In the poem, Walker’s use of language is very direct, as seen in the first line “How I miss my father.” This is a very emotive phrase, making the poem personal, and brings readers immediately into Walker’s memories with her father, who is no longer alive. The importance of the phrase is highlighted as it is the only full sentence in the poem written in one line. In stanza four, Walker uses repetition, again writing “How I miss my father!” This time, instead of a full stop, the poet uses an exclamation mark. This shows the increase in Walker’s emotional intensity, as she constantly reminds herself of her father. other than Walker’s choice of diction, she uses literary devices to add effect to her feelings. For example she expresses that her father “cooked like a person dancing” This simile is a sign of her admiration and respect for her father. Overall, in the first four stanzas of the poem, Walker writes at a dark tone, underlining the sadness she continues to feel at her father’s loss. This changes in stanza five, where Walker writes in a much more optimistic tone. In the first line of stanza five, “Now I look and cook just like him”, it can be interpreted that Walker has chosen to follow her father’s qualities. “Look and cook” is an use of assonance that represents

The title “Digging” explains that Healey’s ancestors had all been digging, with his grandfather digging turf and his father digging potatoes. Arguably, Healey is also digging up memories in this poem, memories which are unpredictable, as shown by the lack of rhyme scheme and structural pattern in the poem. Healey starts off the poem holding a pen. It is written that he sees his father outside the window. “I look down” symbolises the writer looking back into time, sparking memories of his father, followed by his grandfather. In “By God, the old man could handle a spade”, shows Healey’s admiration for his father, while the repetition of “old man” in the next line suggests his father’s admiration for Healey’s grandfather, thus linking the three generations together. The change in tense is also a significant aspect in this poem. Healey first uses present tense, then changes into past to indicate the memories of his father and grandfather. As he is brought back to reality, this changes back into present tense. Although like Walker, Healey feels proud of his ancestor’s qualities, he has chosen a different path, as a writer. As seen in the last two lines, a repetition of “The squat pen rests”, as well as a change to future tense, the Healey is determined to write. He hopes to use literature to show the