Summary Of The Gift By Li Young Lee

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Recommended: Under the influence of Confucianism

Hannah Forbes
English 102
Professor McCully
4 March 2016
A Father's Gift
A famous Chinese philosopher by the name of Confucius once said: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."The Gift" by Li-Young Lee, is a good comparison he uses the poem to describe the different levels on which wisdom is transferred. Lee shows this transfer throughout the poem to describe the how knowledge is conveyed from a father to his son. Lee shows how knowledge, which is comparable to lessons, such as kindness is known to have a lasting effect passed through the generations. Lee uses this poem to depict the complex nature of a relationship …show more content…

Lee throughout the poem is written through the eyes of a young boy, as he grew up he took the lessons he learned and applied them to his life. He uses the splinter to represent his gift of tenderness when he stated “and I did not hold that shard/between my fingers and think,/Metal that will bury me” (29-31) He goes on to explain how the little sliver, is not just a splinter but also a gift from his father he says “I did what a child does/when he’s given something to keep./I kissed my father.”(34-36) This confirms the thought that the splinter this confirms that the splinter is the kindness and relief that he looks for when helping his wife out in the future. The tone of this passage is slightly different from the rest of the poem, in the beginning, it is more reminiscent and appreciative while the end leads more towards the grateful and the feeling of the love that he shares with his father is prominent. The last paragraph describes the way that the splinter or the “gift” has touched his heart going so deep that it touches the core. It may have seen scary at first but in the end, since his father protected his and brought him the relief he realizes that his father was helping him and had brought him relief. He was grateful because he says that he did what any child does when their father gives them a

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