Father Returning Home - Dilip Chitre

Description

Here are my notes on this poem! Good luck! =) * Some credit to azittoun for their amazing mindmap!
Diana Domingues
Flashcards by Diana Domingues, updated more than 1 year ago
Diana Domingues
Created by Diana Domingues over 7 years ago
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Resource summary

Question Answer
"Father returning home" "Father" not dad/ daddy. Shows distance between him and his children (loneliness, isolation) Could also signify old age "returning" routine, mundane, boring Needs a routine to feel as if he has a purpose/ a place in this world
"silent commuters in the yellow light" Isolation: He is feeling left out, everything appears silent to him, unwilling to interact with him, he is unable to communicate with them 'yellow' seems unnatural: He is feeling alien in this new world Bright and happy, which contrasts with his feelings - He is isolated once again
"Black raincoat stained with mud" 'Black': No light or hope. Dark feelings. Unkept, but doesn't care any more, yet he carries on working for his family.
"Like a word dropped from a long sentence" He is unimportant. World can still function without him. Feels discarded by society Unable to communicate (not part of the sentence) - links to 'silent commuters'
"Grey platform" Dull, morose colours which reflect his feelings. He is stuck in a black and white (old) world
"weak tea", "stale chapati" Becoming old, he has no pleasures to life. Only way for him to reconnect to the old world if through traditional and poor quality foods
"Man's estrangement from a man-made world" Feels alone as humanity becomes more isolated Repetition of 'man' could highlight confusion Irony of this shocks the reader
"cold water running over his brown hands" Brown hands shows his hard work throughout his life (tanned by sun) He still has hopes, but they are draining away like water, and he is unable to grasp them. Tries to cleanse himself from world's chaos with natural water
"A few droplets cling" As much as he tries to wash the modern world away, it still clings to him Could symbolize his tears 'cling' if a powerful verb. Father could be clinging to the little place in society he is afraid to lose
"now go to sleep listening to the static on the radio" Enjambment: He has lost control over his life 'sleep': Escape from the world, he is shutting himself off 'static': comforting sounds, at least he is not ignored. Reminds him of his past
"dreaming of his ancestors and grandchildren" Ancestors built a new world for themselves, while grandchildren are living in a new world of technology He is stuck somewhere in between, there is no place for him.
Structure Little punctuation: Life is chaotic for him Punctuation comes too late, difficult to read. Life is difficult for him More punctuation at home: There, he has more control over his life No rhyme: Life is unfamiliar. He has no direction, he is lost
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