Comparing The Sick Equation by Brian patten and Long Distance by Tony Harrison
In this essay I am going to compare and contrast 'The Sick Equation'
by Brian Patten and 'Long Distance' by Tony Harrison.
'The Sick Equation' is about how two parent's intense arguing and
general disrespect for each other had such a damaging effect on their
son's thoughts, personality and life as an adult.
Stanza one gives us some background information to the poem. The poet
mentions the word 'school' in the opening line so we can assume he is
between the ages of ten and sixteen. We also learn that at this time,
his parents are still living together but the house is '…full of anger
and pain.' Which gives us an indication of how he feels about his home
life. The poet assumes from his past experience that he can't go with
anyone because his equation is broken. He feels it is better being
one, rather than being two and trying to make things work because
someone will always end up being hurt.
Up to stanza five, Patten describes how he pushed away anyone who
wanted to love him and how he always thought that marriage would end
in divorce. He has very low self-esteem. He would rather not be loved
at all than be love by someone, only then to be rejected by them.
However, in stanza six, we find out that he has completely turned his
life around and has found someone to love.
In contrast, Harrison writes about how loving his parents were and how
his father still loved his deceased mother and did things he would
have done if she were still alive.
Stanza one gives you details of what the father did/does for his wife.
This shows what a loving relatio...
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...ll know phrase but Patten uses it in a
very sardonic tone of voice because in reality, his childhood home was
anything but sweet.
In conclusion, I would say that I preferred 'Long Distance' by Tony
Harrison because it paints a picturesque view of what everyone's
childhood should be like - warm, loving and stable. I also like it
because I think it has been very cleverly written. Just when you think
you know what Harrison is trying to tell you, just when you think you
can sympathise with him about his love for his father and his torment
at watching his father's extreme grief, the poem jolts you. The last
stanza tells you that the poem was never just about the father. It's
about Harrison and his won struggle to accept the finality of his
parent's death and his own refusal to see them as 'disconnected' from
his life.
In the field of Psychology, more specifically health-behavioral research, there has been resounding interest in the structure and measurement of, what the psychological community refers to as, affect. Affect refers to how we, as humans, “experience emotion” and can be broken down into two dominant affective state dimensions, positive and negative affect (Hogg, Abrams, & Martin, 2010)(Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). According to Watson, Clark, & Tellegen (1988), positive affect (PA) refers to how enthusiastic and active a person is and negative affect (NA) refers to a general dimension of distress and displeasure. Tellegen (1985) claims that not only do these terms refer to affective state, but also affective trait dimensions, indicating that, “Trait PA and NA roughly correspond to the personality factors of extraversion and neuroticism,” respectively. While many PA and NA scales have been developed, however, these scales were unable to develop items for PA and NA that were statistically independent of each other. In an attempt to operationalize the orthogonal dimensions of positive and negative affect, Watson, Clark & and Tellegen (1988) developed The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (i.e. PANAS). In the following review, I will evaluate and critique the PANAS, as a measure of trait affect, focusing on the reliability and validity of scores, test content, and the manner in which it is used.
Stanza three again shows doubtfulness about the mother’s love. We see how the mother locks her child in because she fears the modern world. She sees the world as dangers and especially fears men. Her fear of men is emphasized by the italics used. In the final line of the stanza, the mother puts her son on a plastic pot. This is somewhat symbolic of the consumeristic society i.e. manufactured and cheap.
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Both poems are set in the past, and both fathers are manual labourers, which the poets admired as a child. Both poems indicate intense change in their fathers lives, that affected the poet in a drastic way. Role reversal between father and son is evident, and a change of emotion is present. These are some of the re-occurring themes in both poems. Both poems in effect deal with the loss of a loved one; whether it be physically or mentally.
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The first source that I looked at was the TED talk episode of Susan Cain titled “Power of Introverts”. In her presentation, Susan Cain talks about how she believes that Western culture society is bound to the idea that being an extrovert is less fitting than being an extrovert in school, work force, etc. In the video Susan states that, “in past history, great minds such as Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Rosa parks were all introverts and they were important transformative leaders in society”. Cain’s aim here is not to attack extroverts, or to state that they are not as good as introverts. Her argument is that the introverts have an important role to play in many areas of society that is now often being overlooked. One example would be that, introverts have greater willingness to listen to others and their input makes them better leaders than is commonly known. To conclude, she added thoughtfulness and tenacity of introverts, and their keen capability to work independently, often gives them an advantage in creative enterprises like art and scientific improvement, also in more intellectual industries such as science and engineering. In particular, Cain highlights just how vital it is to encourage and support the introvert’s strange talents, and to be patient in dealing with their intimacy or familiarity. She also stresses the importance of inspiring the introvert to come out of their shell as much as they are able, so they may learn to make their opinions be heard, and to be able to reach their full potential and contribute in a world that is more extrovert friendly. When I think of it, it is kind of sad how society believes that wor...
The poem is written in the father’s point of view; this gives insight of the father’s character and
Existentialists mean that we can't rationalize, since we can't explain human fear, anguish, and pain. To rationalize is absurd, because in the final analysis, we will find nothing. Life is absurd. This leads to the term Nothingness. Thus, since we can't find a meaning of life more than what we attempt to create by ourselves, we anguish.
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a respiratory tract infection characterized by a violent cough. The violent cough incudes a series of severe uncontrollable coughing, hacking, or whooping. (1) Pertussis is a very contagious disease caused by bacteria named Bordetella pertussis, which is transmitted through fluids from sneezing or coughing around a person’s breathing space. The bacteria release toxins, damage cilia, and cause airways to swell.
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As Carter opens the poem, he tells how at this point in his life, he still has this essential want for things his own father presented him growing up. In the beginning, he expresses he has this “…pain [he] mostly hide[s], / but [that] ties of blood, or seed, endure” (lines 1-2). These lines voice how he longs for his father and just how painful it is without him at his side. In addition, he still feels “the hunger for his outstretched hand” (4) and a man’s embrace to take [him] in” (5). Furthermore, Carter explains how this “pain” he “feel[s] inside” (3) are also due to his “need for just a word of pr...
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
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Relationships between two people can have a strong bond and through poetry can have an everlasting life. The relationship can be between a mother and a child, a man and a woman, or of one person reaching out to their love. No matter what kind of relationship there is, the bond between the two people is shown through literary devices to enhance the romantic impression upon the reader. Through Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham,” Ben Jonson’s “To Celia,” and William Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” relationships are viewed as a powerful bond, an everlasting love, and even a romantic hymn.
...r who is very close with my family, I can feel the sentiment behind each authors’ literature from my own experiences. I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have certain family bonds; however, I believe that much of our society in the 21st century is focused around family, values, and our upbringing. If a voyager from the future were to read these two poems, I think they would have a pretty good understanding and notion that our culture and civilization has a strong focus on relationships, family, trust and support. We go out of our way for the people we love and care about.