03-26-2017, 04:26 PM
Hi Keith,
This poem gives me nice images and plenty to think about. As I read it a few times I'm struck by the mystery of what's going on. It seems the speaker is kind of losing it. Perhaps there is something supernatural going on here. But I'm not sure - and I think I could read this many times and always be a little on the outside of the meaning, which isn't something I consider a strength of any poem.
For example, I don't understand the connection between the mother being unable to cough black (what does that mean - 'cough black') and the father becoming the house. The becoming the house, to me, suggests he took on the burden of sheltering the children - including the speaker.
Then in the second stanza we learn of the scarecrow. This development of the scarecrow in stanzas 2, 4 and 5 lead into the last stanza, which suggests the speaker is now in the scarecrow's position. The 3rd stanza has an unclear reference to 'he', which seems likely to be the father from the beginning. I thought I understood this stanza, except where would the sun and the rain come from if these are shadows?
Anyway, before I ramble, I must say the overall meaning seems to me that the speaker lost his mother, the father took up the burden of caring for the speaker, but suffered some failing of character which has caused mental harm to the speaker who, as the poem moves forward, becomes a father himself. Eventually, the mental trouble takes the form of a sinister scarecrow - and we see the speaker succumb to his delusion.
I can't help worry I've got it wrong, though. As for concrete suggestions, how bout resolving the uncertainty of 'he' in stanza 3, and tweaking the first image in stanza 1, about the mother.
Additionally, I found the word selection and cadence to be pleasing. No real qualms there on my part.
This poem gives me nice images and plenty to think about. As I read it a few times I'm struck by the mystery of what's going on. It seems the speaker is kind of losing it. Perhaps there is something supernatural going on here. But I'm not sure - and I think I could read this many times and always be a little on the outside of the meaning, which isn't something I consider a strength of any poem.
For example, I don't understand the connection between the mother being unable to cough black (what does that mean - 'cough black') and the father becoming the house. The becoming the house, to me, suggests he took on the burden of sheltering the children - including the speaker.
Then in the second stanza we learn of the scarecrow. This development of the scarecrow in stanzas 2, 4 and 5 lead into the last stanza, which suggests the speaker is now in the scarecrow's position. The 3rd stanza has an unclear reference to 'he', which seems likely to be the father from the beginning. I thought I understood this stanza, except where would the sun and the rain come from if these are shadows?
Anyway, before I ramble, I must say the overall meaning seems to me that the speaker lost his mother, the father took up the burden of caring for the speaker, but suffered some failing of character which has caused mental harm to the speaker who, as the poem moves forward, becomes a father himself. Eventually, the mental trouble takes the form of a sinister scarecrow - and we see the speaker succumb to his delusion.
I can't help worry I've got it wrong, though. As for concrete suggestions, how bout resolving the uncertainty of 'he' in stanza 3, and tweaking the first image in stanza 1, about the mother.
Additionally, I found the word selection and cadence to be pleasing. No real qualms there on my part.