[Introduction]

Why did we choose the theme, Family? Basically it is because, it is something close to us, something everyone has, something everyone feels for. And straight to the point, family, the people in there, your parents, your siblings they are someone dear to you, someone you probably see daily. Thus i believe that we will be able to analyse the poems, themed "Family", well as the closer someone/something is to you, the more you feel for them.

Dusting By Julia Alvarez

Each morning I wrote my name

on the dusty cabinet, then crossed

the dining room table in script, scrawled

in capitals on the backs of chairs,

practicing signatures like scales

A picture of Julia Alvarez~

while Mother followed, squirting

linseed from a burping can

into a crumpled-up flannel.

She erased my fingerprints

from the bookshelf and rocker,

polished mirrors on the desk

scribbled with my alphabets.

My name was swallowed in the towel

with which she jeweled the table tops.

The grain surfaced in the oak

and the pine grew luminous.

But I refused with every mark

to be like her, anonymous.

Dare to analyse it: 

In this poem, the persona clearly specifies her difference in character compared to her mother. “practicing signatures like scales” reflects the persona as an artistic and elegant individual which contrast the idea of her mother “followed, squirting linseed from a burping can into a crumpled-up flannel” which reflects her mother as a rather different style from her elegant impression. Therefore, stanza one reflects the artistic yet elegant persona’s difference from her mother, who really has no connection with her daughter’s way and style of life.

In the next stanza, “She erased my fingerprints from the bookshelf and rocker” and “But I refused with every mark to be like her, anonymous”. These suggests the way that the persona thinks of her mother, as someone that is “anonymous”, unknown to the world, transparent to people, and is firm that she does not want to end up like her mother, she wants to leave deep impressions on people and not be “anonymous” like her mother, be recognised by people.

This poem gets us to think about how the young us thinks and how we think nowadays. When we were young, we were almost not afraid to try on anything, and have dreams as wild and unique as possible. But as we grew, we started to understand the society and care about our image thus a lot of things we did not try for fear that will ruin our reputation or think that some things are just impossible to achieve. If we had the courage and ignorance of the young us, will the world, the society be a better place then?

Family Album By Diane Thiel

I like old photographs of relatives

in black and white, their faces set like stone.

They knew this was serious business.

My favorite album is the one that's filled

with people none of us can even name.

I find the recent ones more difficult.

I wonder, now, if anyone remembers

how fiercely I refused even to stand

beside him for this picture — how I shrank

back from his hand and found the other side.

Forever now, for future family,

we will be framed like this, although no one

will wonder at the way we are arranged.

No one will ever wonder, since we'll be

forever smiling there — our mouths all teeth

Dare to analyse it: 

The persona seems to have a bad relationship with a male family member of hers, probably her father. The evidence is: “how fiercely I refused even to stand

beside him for this picture — how I shrank

back from his hand and found the other side.” This tells me that she is not willing to stand beside that member of the family to take the photograph. The adjective “fiercely” tells me that there she has a violent objection standing beside the member of her family, she got out of his hand and went to stand at the other side. Her action tells me that she does not like this member of the family, and doesn’t even want to stand beside him for a picture. Hence, I imply that she has a bad relationship with this member of the family that she would not even take a picture with him.

In the poem, there are two different effects. In the first stanza, the mood seems to be very neutral, with the persona talking about family albums. But as the poem graduates to stanza two and three, the mood is down and emotional, with the persona recalling about a photo taking experience with a member of a family and with the persona knowing that no one would know what happened that year in the photograph other than her.

A Cradle Song By William Blake

SLEEP, sleep, beauty bright,   

A Cradle Song~

Dreaming in the joys of night;   

Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep   

Little sorrows sit and weep.   

 Sweet babe, in thy face          5

Soft desires I can trace,   

Secret joys and secret smiles,   

Little pretty infant wiles.   

 As thy softest limbs I feel   

Smiles as of the morning steal   10

O'er thy cheek, and o'er thy breast   

Where thy little heart doth rest.   

 O the cunning wiles that creep   

In thy little heart asleep!   

When thy little heart doth wake,   15

Then the dreadful night shall break.

Dare to analyse it: 

The poet is trying to express her concerns for her child when he grows up .(another point)

The poet express her concerns for her child when he grows up. It is evident from “ little sorrows sit and weep” and  “O the cunning wiles that creep” . This tells me that when he grows up he will be facing the harsh reality of the world and the mother is worried about her son . The mother’s constant worry of the son of whether he will be able to cope in future , and hopes that he will stay this small forever so that she can assure that no one can harm him . In the world now , there are many harmful things , she does not want her child to get hurt . Also the world now is not that simple ,it is complicated with a lot of “bad people and things” that would try to harm you hence the mother does expresses her worries for her child in the future .

The poet is also trying to tell the child to enjoy sleeping with sweet dreams and not worry about what troubles they have in the real life. It is evident from’Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep  Little sorrows sit and weep.  Sweet babe, in thy face, Soft desires I can trace, Secret joys and secret smiles, Little pretty infant wiles.’ This shows how the child is having a good dream. You can see that there a troubles in real life, as ‘When thy little heart doth wake, then the dreadful night shall break.’ And as probably for the child at that time was the dark as darkness is scary for most children, but in the future it will probably be real life problems, hence the poet is telling the child to enjoy sleeping with sweet dreams and not worry about what troubles they have in the real life.

Now let's enjoy a music video!

Mother To Son By Langston Hughes

Mother To Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor–
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on.
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard,
Don't you fall now–
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Dare to analyse it:

I feel that the poet is encouraging her son not to give up in any difficulties he faces at different phases of life and also teaching her son that life is not easy. The poet who is the mother encourages her son to not give up easily can be seen from “And sometimes goin’ in the dark, Where there ain’t been no light. So boy don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps” Based on these lines we can see that the mother is depicting life as a flight of stairs , each time you move up one step , things get harder and tougher. She is trying to say that when life is tough, many obstacles ahead and there is no one to help you, you need to have that perseverance and determination to overcome the obstacles placed before you and not give it up.  She is also encouraging her son by telling him what she has been through, to motivate him and give him a good example to follow. Through the words that she used, we can also see that she is trying to tell her son that no matter how tough or difficult life may be in future there will be always a solution to it, he just needs to keep trying again each time he failed he needs to have that willpower to keep trying to find the solution. Hence, determination and courage is vital for one’s success.

Also, his mother telling his son that life is never easy can be seen from “ It’s had tacks in it , And splinters, And boards torn up , And places with no carpet floor – bare” From this , it tells us that life is never smooth sailing, it is filled with “tacks” which is used to illustrate the sharpness and discomfort that the challenged he faces at every stage he goes through . Also, the “splinters” used to illustrate the difficulties in overcoming every challenge. In addition , the constant repetition of p’s and t’s evident from “tacks” , “splinters”, “ torn” and many others render the reader breathless , imitating the exhaustive uphill climb of life . This further emphasizes that life is not easy as it is filled with different kind of challenges daily which sometimes are nerve-wrecking and tough which can make us mentally exhausted. Hence , life is not a smooth-sailing journey but a rough one with challenges ahead of us.

Now let's enjoy a video of a person reciting the poem with the tone(s)!

Nurse's Song By William Blake

When the voices of children are heard on the green,

And laughing is heard on the hill,

My heart is at rest within my breast,

And everything else is still.

‘Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,

And the dews of night arise;

Come, come, leave off play, and let us away

Till the morning appears in the skies.’

‘No, no, let us play, for it is yet day,

And we cannot go to sleep;

Besides, in the sky the little birds fly,

And the hills are all cover’d with sheep.’

‘Well, well, go and play till the light fades away,

And then go home to bed.’

The little ones leapèd and shoutèd and laugh’d

And all the hills echoèd.

Nurse's Song~

Dare to analyse it:

The author uses rhyme at the second and last line to enhance the effectiveness on the reader when reading the poem. The poet uses “hill” “still” in every last word of the sentence. Also, the theme of the poem is the children’s innocent joy and happiness. The sounds of the children match with a busy world of ‘sheep’ and ‘birds’. They think of themselves as part of nature, and cannot bear the thought of leaving their play while birds and sheep still moving lively in the sky and on the hills, for the children share the innocence and unselfconscious naturalness of these animals. They also approach the world with a jolly cheerfulness, concentrating not on the approaching night but on the last moment of day that surely can be last out of the evening.

The description of “Well, well , go and play till the light fades away, and then go home to bed” and “Besides, in the sky the little birds fly, and the hills are all cover’d with sheep” shows that the children happiness inspires the nurse a feeling of peace and calm, and their desire to lengthen their own enjoyment is one she readily indulges. She is a kind of innocent, guardian existence who is not really close with the children and supports them rather than overshadows their innocence and kept them in an enclose area. She is compared with the nature. Her tranquility echoes with the evening’s natural calmness, and both seem to envelop the carefree children in a affectionate protection.