Mid-Range Analysis
Edgar Guest, author of A Boy and His Dad, was forced to drop out of high school and work full time for the Detroit Free Press when his father died when he was only seventeen. This traumatic event seems to be reflected in this poem, which is a testament to fatherhood and the unique joy present in a father-son relationship.
Perhaps because of his own loss, Guest observes the father and son from a third person perspective. In fact, the entire poem represent Guest’s own wished to relive his childhood and relationship with his father, as he says, “Oh, I envy them, as I see them there” (Line 27). Such a phrase conjures images of Guest standing on the shore, looking longingly at the happy pair. “Envy” implies a intense desire for such a relationship, something Guest may bitterly miss since his father passed away. He highlights this as he writes, “Come the summer days that I used to know, /When I learned life's truths from my father's lips/As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips” (Line 30-32). In other words, the relationship of the father and son does indeed reflect his own, in which both he and his father “shared the joy” of their time together.
However, the relationship between the man and the boy constitutes the major theme of the poem, one which Guest describes with vivid description and enthusiasm. One of the most prominent lines that explore the depth of the relationship is “Which is happier, man or boy?” (Line 17). By asking the reader this question, Guest highlights the mutual happiness and joy that both participants find in the time they spend together. One interesting choice of language is the term “man” instead of “father”. By using “man,” Guest highlights his perception that the son is not yet a man like his father. Indeed, Guest uses this distinction as a platform for showing the father is teaching the boy to be a man. Guest says, “The soul of the father is steeped in joy, /For he's finding out, to his heart's delight,/That his son is fit for the future fight” (Lines 18-20). With these lines, Guest implies that the father’s happiness comes not just from the time they spend together, but from the pride the father has in his son. Knowing that his son will be “fit for the future fight” is comforting to the father; he has imparted his own knowledge into his son, allowing him to be successful in later life.
In addition, Guest employs a variety of literary techniques to express the joy of the relationships, both with sensory details and descriptive imagery. In one case of such sensory description, Guest writes, “And the laughing stream as it runs along” (Line 5). First, the reader is struck with the image of a streaming river and the pleasant sounds associated with it, a very calm spatial setting. However, Guest compacts it with the word “laughing”, a term that implies joy and happiness. Such a comparison connects the father-son relationship with the actual spatial setting; both have a sparkling quality of laughter and brightness associated with them.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
Perhaps because of his own loss, Guest observes the father and son from a third person perspective. In fact, the entire poem represent Guest’s own wished to relive his childhood and relationship with his father, as he says, “Oh, I envy them, as I see them there” (Line 27). Such a phrase conjures images of Guest standing on the shore, looking longingly at the happy pair. “Envy” implies a intense desire for such a relationship, something Guest may bitterly miss since his father passed away. He highlights this as he writes, “Come the summer days that I used to know, /When I learned life's truths from my father's lips/As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips” (Line 30-32). In other words, the relationship of the father and son does indeed reflect his own, in which both he and his father “shared the joy” of their time together.
However, the relationship between the man and the boy constitutes the major theme of the poem, one which Guest describes with vivid description and enthusiasm. One of the most prominent lines that explore the depth of the relationship is “Which is happier, man or boy?” (Line 17). By asking the reader this question, Guest highlights the mutual happiness and joy that both participants find in the time they spend together. One interesting choice of language is the term “man” instead of “father”. By using “man,” Guest highlights his perception that the son is not yet a man like his father. Indeed, Guest uses this distinction as a platform for showing the father is teaching the boy to be a man. Guest says, “The soul of the father is steeped in joy, /For he's finding out, to his heart's delight,/That his son is fit for the future fight” (Lines 18-20). With these lines, Guest implies that the father’s happiness comes not just from the time they spend together, but from the pride the father has in his son. Knowing that his son will be “fit for the future fight” is comforting to the father; he has imparted his own knowledge into his son, allowing him to be successful in later life.
In addition, Guest employs a variety of literary techniques to express the joy of the relationships, both with sensory details and descriptive imagery. In one case of such sensory description, Guest writes, “And the laughing stream as it runs along” (Line 5). First, the reader is struck with the image of a streaming river and the pleasant sounds associated with it, a very calm spatial setting. However, Guest compacts it with the word “laughing”, a term that implies joy and happiness. Such a comparison connects the father-son relationship with the actual spatial setting; both have a sparkling quality of laughter and brightness associated with them.
-Robert Chun
Picture Source
