Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Onward, He Said" by James Harmon Clinton is a poignant reflection on the complex relationship between a father and son, nuanced with the subtleties of communication, affection, and personal growth. The poem navigates through memories, piecing together the character of a father through the eyes of his son, revealing a bond marked by both distance and deep, albeit unspoken, love.

The poem opens with the son recalling the playful and affectionate manner in which his father addressed him and his sister, setting a tone of familial warmth. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, it becomes apparent that the connection between father and son is layered with unarticulated emotions and missed opportunities for verbal expression of love. The father's attempt at bonding over a joke during a car ride, his "clumsy and funny malapropisms of obscenity," and the son's subsequent alienation from the family due to his proficiency in profanity, illustrate the gaps in understanding and communication that can exist within close relationships.

Despite these gaps, the father's support and pride in his son are evident in his presence at baseball games and his assistance with the son's speech contest. However, the son struggles with the absence of direct verbal affirmation from his father, relying on secondhand assurances of his father's pride and love. This reliance underscores a longing for direct validation and a sense of belonging.

The poem's emotional depth is amplified by the son's realization, after his father's sudden death, that he may never have fully understood or appreciated his father's love during his lifetime. The revelation of the father's final words about his son, shared by the mother, offers a bittersweet resolution to the son's quest for acknowledgment. It highlights the enduring impact of parental love and approval, even when not directly communicated.

"James Harmon Clinton's "Onward, He Said" is a meditation on the silent languages of love within a family, the yearning for explicit acknowledgment, and the ways in which we come to understand our loved ones after they are gone. It speaks to the universal experience of seeking validation from our parents and the complex legacies of communication and affection that shape our identities.

POEM TEXT: https://www.google.com/books/edition/What_is_Fair/Y7yioZLNjEsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=ONWARD

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