Analysis of ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ by Alice Walker
Summary
TLDRThe video script is a deep analysis of Alice Walker's poem 'at 39,' which reflects on the author's memories and relationship with her father. The poem is characterized by a nostalgic tone, a first-person narrative, and a free verse structure that mirrors the sporadic chain of thought. The analysis highlights the themes of loss, regret, and familial love, with a mournful tone that gradually shifts to a more celebratory one, as the speaker acknowledges her father's influence on her life and her growth into a woman he would be proud of. The poem's use of personal pronouns and simple language creates an intimate connection with the reader, while the imagery of finance suggests the hardship her father faced. The speaker's respect for her father's wisdom is evident in her adoption of his values, particularly in handling money and truth-telling. The poem also explores the idea of escaping a difficult life and the speaker's success in doing so, as well as the potential metaphorical meaning behind cooking and feeding others, possibly alluding to her activism. The analysis concludes by noting the poem's relevance to themes of childhood, loss, regret, nostalgia, memories, and familial love, making it a fitting choice for examination in an English literature context.
Takeaways
- 📜 The poem 'at 39' by Alice Walker is a personal reflection on her life and her relationship with her father, written when she was 39 years old.
- 🎭 The poem establishes a nostalgic and mournful tone, indicating a sense of loss and regret, as the speaker misses her deceased father.
- 👤 The use of first-person narrative creates an intimate connection between the reader and the speaker, sharing Alice Walker's personal experiences.
- 💭 The poem's structure, with its broken lines and lack of a set rhyme scheme, mirrors the speaker's struggle to express her emotions and memories.
- 💰 The poem introduces a semantic field of finance, suggesting that money was a burden and a symbol of hardship in the speaker's life and her father's life.
- 👨 The father is portrayed as a caring figure who taught the speaker about the importance of money management, hoping for a better life for his daughter.
- 🌟 The father's influence is seen in the speaker's life, as she respects his advice and follows his teachings, even opening a savings account in high school.
- 🔥 The poem uses the metaphor of cooking to describe the father's passion and energy, as well as his generosity in sharing good food, which the speaker has inherited.
- 🌱 The speaker's life is depicted as varied and exciting, a contrast to her father's more mundane existence, indicating she has escaped the life he knew.
- 🔁 The poem includes repetition of the phrase 'how I miss my father,' emphasizing the depth of the speaker's longing and the significance of her father's influence.
- 📚 The speaker's achievements and the activities she engages in, such as cooking, writing, and chopping wood, are seen as a continuation of her father's legacy and values.
- 🔮 The final stanza suggests a sense of regret that the father did not live to see the full woman the speaker became, but also a belief that he would be proud of her independence and accomplishments.
Q & A
What is the significance of the poem's title 'At 39' by Alice Walker?
-The title 'At 39' signifies that Alice Walker wrote the poem when she was 39 years old, which sets the context for the poem as a reflection on her life and memories at that age.
How does the poem establish a mournful or regretful tone in the first stanza?
-The poem establishes a mournful or regretful tone through phrases like 'how I miss my father' and 'I wish he had not been so tired when I was born,' indicating a sense of loss and longing.
What is the significance of the first-person narrative in creating an intimate poem?
-The first-person narrative creates an intimate poem by allowing Alice Walker to share her personal experiences and emotions directly with the reader, making the poem more relatable and emotionally engaging.
How does the use of broken lines in the poem reflect Alice Walker's struggle to express herself?
-The broken lines can be seen as a reflection of Alice Walker's struggle to express her emotions and memories, suggesting that her thoughts and feelings are complex and difficult to articulate.
What is the semantic field of finance or monetary imagery in the poem, and what does it suggest about the narrator's life?
-The semantic field of finance or monetary imagery includes words like 'deposit slips,' 'checks,' and 'savings accounts.' It suggests that money was a burden for the narrator and her father, indicating a life of hardship and financial struggle.
How does the father's teaching about money and its importance reflect his caring nature?
-The father's teaching about money and its importance shows his caring nature as he wants his daughter to learn how to handle money wisely, so she can escape the difficult life he knew.
What does the phrase 'telling the truth did not always mean a beating' reveal about the father's values and their relationship?
-The phrase reveals that the father valued truth, even though it sometimes led to conflict and discipline. It suggests an honest and open relationship between the father and daughter, despite the challenges they faced.
What is the significance of the euphemism 'before the end' in the poem?
-The euphemism 'before the end' is used to refer to the time before the father's death. It suggests that it is difficult for Alice Walker to accept or say aloud that her father is gone, indicating the depth of her grief and loss.
How does the poem's tone shift from regretful to celebratory?
-The tone shifts from regretful to celebratory as Alice Walker reflects on her father's positive influence on her life, her own achievements, and the qualities they shared. This shift reflects a transition from mourning to honoring and celebrating her father's memory and their bond.
What is the symbolism of the father cooking 'like a person dancing in a yoga meditation'?
-The symbolism of the father cooking 'like a person dancing in a yoga meditation' suggests a combination of energy, passion, and focus. It paints a picture of the father's cooking as an art form, and implies that he took great care and joy in preparing food for his family.
How does Alice Walker's life and the way she lives it reflect her father's influence and values?
-Alice Walker's life, including her cooking, writing, chopping wood, and staring into the fire, reflects her father's influence and values. She has embraced the importance of truth, financial wisdom, and generosity, and has carried these values into her own life and work.
What is the structure of the poem, and how does it reflect the poem's themes and content?
-The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme scheme and has unequal stanzas. This structure reflects the poem's themes of memories and a chain of thought, as the poem moves from one memory to another in a sporadic and unstructured manner, mirroring the process of reminiscing.
Outlines
📚 Reflections on Fatherhood and Childhood
The first paragraph introduces the poem 'at 39' by Alice Walker, which is read in preparation for an English literature exam. The title suggests a nostalgic tone, as the narrator, Alice Walker, reflects on her memories with her father at the age of 39. The poem begins with a mournful tone, expressing a sense of loss and longing for her father, who has passed away. The use of first-person narrative creates an intimate setting, allowing the reader to engage with Walker's personal experience. The poem explores themes of financial hardship, the importance of money management, and the father's caring nature. It also touches on the honesty within their relationship, despite potential conflicts, and the father's influence on Alice's life, including her values and understanding of finance.
🍲 Celebrating Life and Legacy
The second paragraph delves into the father's character, highlighting his cooking as a form of art and passion, likened to a person dancing in a yoga meditation. This vivid imagery suggests a celebration of life and the father's generosity in sharing good food. The paragraph also discusses the narrator's own cooking style, which mirrors her father's, indicating that she has embraced the values and lifestyle he wished for her. The father's influence is further emphasized through the metaphor of escaping the mundane life he knew. The paragraph also contemplates the father's potential admiration for the woman Alice has become, despite not being able to witness her full journey. The use of euphemism 'before the end' to refer to her father's death reflects the difficulty in accepting his passing.
🔥 Fire as a Symbol of Continuity
The third paragraph focuses on the symbolism of fire, suggesting that the father's spirit and values live on within Alice. It lists her various activities—cooking, writing, chopping wood, and staring into the fire—as a testament to her independence and the diversity of her life. The paragraph reflects on the regret that her father did not live to see all her accomplishments, but it also emphasizes the enduring influence of his teachings and personality on her life. The poem's structure is free verse with no rhyme scheme, mirroring the sporadic nature of memories and thoughts. The tone of the poem shifts from regretful to celebratory, ultimately focusing on the narrator's growth and the pride her father would have felt for her achievements.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Nostalgia
💡Loss
💡First-Person Narrative
💡Monetary Imagery
💡Escape
💡Truth
💡Euphemism
💡Celebration of Life
💡Independence
💡Fire as a Symbol
💡Free Verse
Highlights
The poem 'At 39' by Alice Walker is a personal reflection on her relationship with her father, written at the age of 39.
The poem establishes a mournful tone, indicating a theme of loss and the narrator's longing for her deceased father.
The use of first-person narrative creates an intimate and personal poem, sharing Alice Walker's experiences.
The poem is a chain of thought, reflecting the struggle to express emotions about a deeply emotional topic.
The poem uses a semantic field of finance and monetary imagery, suggesting a financial burden and hardship in the narrator's life.
Alice Walker's father is portrayed as a caring figure who taught her the importance of handling money to escape a difficult life.
The poem reveals an honest relationship between the narrator and her father, despite occasional conflict and discipline.
The use of the euphemism 'before the end' indicates the difficulty Alice Walker has in accepting her father's death.
The poem juxtaposes the harshness of their past with a celebratory tone, focusing on the joy and beauty of her father's cooking.
Alice Walker's admiration for her father's cooking is mirrored in her own approach to cooking, highlighting the bond and similarities between them.
The metaphor of the 'seasoning of her life not the same way twice' implies that she has escaped the mundane life her father knew.
The poem suggests that Alice Walker's life is full of enthusiasm, passion, and a willingness to help others, traits she shares with her father.
The poem reflects on the narrator's achievements and independence, with a hint of regret that her father did not live to see her full potential.
The act of cooking and sharing food is a symbol of Alice Walker's connection to her father and her desire to emulate his generosity.
The poem explores the themes of childhood, loss, regret, nostalgia, memories, and familial love, making it a rich choice for literary analysis.
The poem is structured as free verse with no rhyme scheme, reflecting the sporadic and unstructured nature of memories and thoughts.
The poem's tone shifts from regretful to celebratory, reflecting Alice Walker's complex emotions towards her father and her life.
The use of imagery, such as cooking and staring into the fire, symbolizes the enduring influence and spirit of her father within her life.
Transcripts
so I'm going to read through poem at 39
by Alice Walker this is in preparation
for your Edexcel I do CSD English
literature
paper one exam for Section a so having
read the poem a number of times you'll
hopefully be able to work out that the
title is quite simply saying that Alice
Walker wrote this at 39 so we know the
narrator is an adult so it creates quite
a nostalgic tone as she's clearly
looking back on memories of her time
with her father stanza one how I miss my
father I wish he had not been so tired
when I was born so we immediately have a
mournful or regretful tone established
through the phrases of how I miss I wish
so we instantly have this theme of loss
as well her father has clearly died the
fact that she misses him pretty much
tells us that not just in this stanza
but throughout the poem you'll notice a
continual use of a personal pronoun so
it's a first-person narrative and that
creates quite an intimate poem this is
Alice Walker's personal experience that
she's sharing with the reader again not
just in this poem it's re not just in
this stanza but throughout the poem is
the use of enjoyment this whole poem
really is a chain of thought you could
argue that the in German also presents
or mirrors her struggle to express
herself as well and this is obviously an
emotional topic and so you can imagine
it's quite difficult for her to almost
kind of talk through those memories
which could be expressed by the broken
lines so for stanza to writing deposit
slips and checks I think of him he
taught me how this is the form he must
have said the way it has done
I learned to see bits of paper as a way
to escape the life he knew and even in
high school
had a savings account so again we have
continuation of in German this is just a
continuation of her memory if you look
at though the words that are highlighted
in pink deposit slips checks bits of
paper savings accounts this is a
semantic field of finance or a monetary
imagery and that suggests that money was
a burden for them and again suggests
hardship in her life and her father's
life going back to stanza one this could
link to the fact that she says I wish he
had not been so tired when I was born
this implies that he had to work a lot
and then linking to stanza two the fact
that we have this monetary imagery
suggests that he may have worked a lot
and also probably for for little money
as well and so it wasn't an easy life
for her father but he's clearly a very
caring father as well because he's
trying to teach her how to handle money
and the importance of it so that she can
escape the life he knew the fact that we
use escape he you'll notice I've circled
it in red again suggests that he wants a
much more for his daughter so this is a
loving father and again this just adds
to the nostalgia and adds to the regret
because she's clearly missing him you'll
notice with his instructions this is the
form the weight has done these are
simple sentences and simple language
which would represent or mimic really
how a father would speak to a child
especially about a topic like finance
which could be quite complicated so it
really just reflects the way he would
communicate with her so that she would
understand the advice that he gives and
she clearly respects her father's advice
because by the time she's in high school
she has a savings account so he already
has had a positive influence on her
he taught me that telling the truth did
not always mean a beating though many of
my truths must have grieved him before
the end I've just circled before the end
in red because it should be on the next
line you'll notice in your anthology
it's written a little different so
firstly the fact that he says telling
the truth won't always mean a beating
indicates that he does value truth and
the fact that Alice Walker admits that
her truths must have grieved him
suggests that even though there was
conflict in their relationship they did
have a very honest relationship so again
I would argue even though and we'll come
to this in a moment he would beat her
sometimes and that's her truth grieved
him I think they had a very close
relationship despite of that and again
that hence why she's writing this poem
and why there seems to be this regretful
tone also indicating her lover her
father is the use of the euphemism the
end what she really means there is
before he died but the use of euphemism
to suggest that it's it was a difficult
or it's difficult for her to even accept
that now or even say those words aloud
even now so it's difficult for her to
come to terms with his death hence why
she says instead before the end so he
must have been a strict parent did not
always mean a beating suggest that he
did sometimes give her a beating so I'm
sure there are times when they they
butted heads but I don't think that
takes away from how close they were I
wonder if her truths that grieved him
are linked to the novel that she wrote a
color purple there are some ideas there
about mail treatment of women that could
have hurt him maybe he was offended by
that and that's maybe something that you
could look into yourself the following
stands there juxtaposes with the
violence and the harshness of the
previous stanza
how I miss my father he cooked like a
person dancing in a yoga meditation and
craved the voluptuous sharing of good
food so we have repetition I haven't
written that down but please do in your
anthology repetition if you notice in
the first line of the poem we have how I
miss my father we have it again this
time with an exclamation mark to mirror
just how greatly she misses him however
I would argue that the tone changes at
this point we've seen kind of a
regretful tone a mournful tone before I
would argue this is much more
celebratory now he cooked like a person
dancing in a yoga meditation it's a
really interesting image and definitely
oxymoronic I'm not sure how you can
dance which is full of movement and
energy and still look like you're in a
yoga meditation which creates images of
being very still but I guess he's trying
to say that he was beautiful to watch
when he was cooking he must have been
full of energy and passion yet really
really focused so he obviously took his
cooking really seriously and she
highlights his generosity as well he
craved to share his good food so we have
this really positive image again of her
father now I look and cook just like him
my brain light tossing this and that
into the pot seasoning none of my life
the same way twice happy to feed whoever
strays my way the assonance in look and
cook represents the similarities between
Walker and her father and then the rest
of this stanza really highlights that
similarity so she the seasoning the
seasoning of her life not the same way
twice is a metaphor implying that she's
she has actually escaped the life he
knew if you think back to the second
stanza he wanted her to escape this life
the first stanza says he was always
tired so his life must have been really
mundane he must
worked really long hours for not much
tool and it suggests that her life is
really exciting and that she has escaped
that way of living but and she's full of
enthusiasm and passion like her father
as well when he cooked and she also is
happy to feed whoever strays her way I
wonder if she means that in the sense of
actually literally feeding others or if
she's linking that to the work she has
done as an activist and how she has
always sought to help the most
vulnerable in our society so is this
also a metaphor for helping others that
are most in need he would have grown to
admire the woman I've become cooking
writing chopping wood staring into the
fire so the so what first of all again
is there is a little bit of regret there
he would have grown to admire it
suggests that he may not have admired
the woman that she became maybe because
he didn't get to see that the full woman
that she became so there's a regret
there that he didn't get to see all of
her achievements but the listing here
emphasizes her independence and the
variety in her life as well cooking
writing chopping wood and then she ends
in with staring into the fire and you
could argue fire symbolizes that her
father still lives on that spark that he
had still lives within her that's why
she's so similar the things that she
does the values that she has still has
come from her father and lives in her
but it'd be interesting to see what you
think that might symbolize as well so
looking overall at the poem it's free
verse there's no rhyme scheme you'll
notice that the stanzas one two three
four five six six stanzas all unequal I
think that reflects the check chain of
thought we've got this kind of
almost memories sparking another memory
so there's no there's no rhythm to it
it's it's sporadic if you like she's
staring into this fire and she's kind of
lost got lost in this memory that sparks
another and sparks another so there
isn't really supposed to be a rhythm
it's supposed to really meet be more of
a train of thought I've drawn a pink
line to indicate where I think the tone
changes I think initially it's quite
regretful but I do think it becomes much
more celebratory towards the end she
gets to celebrate how wonderful what a
wonderful cook he was how she has become
very similar to him and then really
celebrating the woman she's become and
the fact that she knows he would be so
proud of her so the themes if we zoom in
here themes this is obviously important
because you don't know what question
you're given or the theme you'll be
given to focus on if you get a question
that asks you to pick a poem that
focuses on childhood or loss regret
nostalgia memories or familial love then
this would be a great choice
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