Poetic analysis of To a Sad Daughter written by Michael Ondaatje Essay Sample

of “love” for his girl. merely to avoid her from being embarrassment. Ondaatje subsequently reestablishes his aspirations for his girl to travel to the full through life and “Step finely / into the wild universe / and your existent award will be / the frenetic hunt. / Want everything. If you break / interruption traveling out non in.” ( 65-70 ) . He explains to his girl that she must endeavor to make herpotency in life. and that it is better to travel out after something and fail. than non seeking at all.

Ondaatje has clear originality in his work but it can be most apprehended when connected with his elusive usage of poetic devices. nonliteral linguistic communication and manner.“To a Sad Daughter” is a free poetry verse form written in first individual narrative from the father’s point of position ; it has eight stanzas and does non follow any rhyme strategy. The poet has a hard undertaking of composing about a alone experience that merely a father-daughter can portion ; it is highly effectual being written in free poetry because the household bond is non governed by regulations or construction so neither should the verse form.

Ondaatje establishes flow with sentence-like poesy and has good usage of initial rhyme for smooth reading ( Answers. com ) : “One twenty-four hours I’ll come swimming / beside your ship or person will / and if you hear the Siren / listen to it. ” ( 26-29 ) . and besides in. “One afternoon I stepped / into your room.

You were sitting / at the desk where I now write this. / Forsythia outside with window / and Sun

spilled over you / like a thick yellow miracle” ( 51-56 ) . Ondaatje’s insistent usage of the consance “s” is clearly initial rhyme at work. the short lines roll quietly off the lingua. He uses the repeat of “ah” sounds in.

“When I thought of girls I wasn’t anticipating this” ( 12-13 ) . this is the usage of vowel rhyme to assist once more with flow and gait of reading ( Answers. com ). Ondaatje captures intense emotion with the usage of a exaggeration when the male parent provinces: “I’ll sell my weaponries for you” ( 70 ).

Another facet of Ondaatje’s word pick in the verse form is his assorted utilizations of imagination in the verse form.Ondaatje’s first usage of imagination is besides in the same citations as his first illustration of initial rhyme ( 26-29 ) ; “sirens” were fabulous animals that used their Sweet vocal to enticecrewmans to their island finally acquiring lodged on stones near the shore ( Answers. com ) . The male parent gives nontraditional advice to his girl by stating her to head toward this.

In the undermentioned lines he states. “For if you close your ears / merely nil happens. You will ne'er alter. ” ( 29-30 ) explicating how alteration is necessary and indispensable for turning.

In the last stanza the writer combines a usage of imagination and a metaphor when the male parent shifts conversation from the position of life. and efforts to explicate decease. “If I speak of decease / it is without answers” ( 72. 74 ) . “Don’t recall Gravess/ Memory is lasting. / Remember the afternoon’s / xanthous suburban Annunciation. /Your goalkeeper /

in his terrorization mask / dreams possibly / of gradualness. ” ( 78-85 ) .

The male parent tells his girl that decease is the terminal of everyone’s life. he warns her to non acquire stuck in retrieving Gravess of others that pass off. but for her to be strong and “see” the existent images of life ( Answers. com ) . This stanza paints a image of people sorrowing over the loss of loved 1s and how hard it can be to halt retrieving those graphic Gravess.

Ondaatje. with his usage of the more abstract poetic devices. has created a fantastic verse form that is highly effectual.Although Michael Ondaatje’s verse form.

“To a Sad Daughter” at first may look to miss the “essential” rime strategy and construction that so many verse forms follow. but through analysis Ondaatje’s originality and elusive usage of poetic devices combined for really effectual verse form. His particular attending to word pick and flow of sentences had a major impact on the quality of authorship and finally it’s on influence the reader. The singularity between a father-daughter relationship and besides the unconditioned love that Ondaatje has demonstrated in his verse form through his authorship. is genuinely something particular.Plants CitedAnonymous. “To a Sad Daughter analysis” . 2006.