The poem I studied was Memory of my Father by Patrick Kavanagh. The main theme is one of the poet remembering his father "Every old man I see reminds me of my father .''This is the case with old man who stumbled in Gardner Street and the fiddle player in London. In fact ,every old man, whatever the location or situation reminds him of his father.
The tone is one of rememberence, loss, sadness, loneliness and maybe even admiration. I think the poet is trying to let us know that his father was a brave man "he had fallen in love with death.'' It appears his father understood the circle of life and was not afraid to die.
The language is powerful. He uses metaphors and alliteration very well "faltering over his fiddle.'' I particularly like his metaphor for the autumn-winter part of an elderly persons life "every old man I see in october coloured weather.'' There must have been great love between the two of them.
By Stephen O' Sullivan.
