Thursday, September 18, 2014
Fathers
Fathers by Grace Paley was a poem kept my attention from start to finish.
"Fathers are more fathering these days they have accomplished this by being more mothering."
I enjoyed this part because even if the poem is about fathers, the mothers are being complimented because the fathers are only better fathers because of the mothers.
The poem addresses war as well, and reminds you of how there used to be a time where most, if not all, fathers went to war and the mothers stayed home and acted as both father and mother.
I enjoyed the fact that Paley mentions that these new fathers don't only exist in the suburbs, but also in the countryside. As if you couldn't discriminate between fathers because good fathers can exist anywhere instead of just in the city, which is usually more of a liberal setting.
Overall, I really enjoyed this poem. It gave us a glimpse of the present and past of fathers around the world.
"The poem addresses war as well, and reminds you of how there used to be a time where most, if not all, fathers went to war and the mothers stayed home and acted as both father and mother." This is very true that now a days the burden on a mother is not as strong since fathers are now capable of being extremely involved in their children's lives. The point of view of the poem can also be seen as liberal since perhaps men are taking the role of women and vice versa, since the role reversal seems to detach from the basic traditional parental roles of the father being the bread winner, and the mother raising the children almost by herself, while the husband simply makes a profit for the family. This tradition seems to be a myth of the past and father's can take on motherly roles now a days since they have more of an opportunity to do so.
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