Theme Of Forgiving My Father

Roseline Conteh

Professor Hoeflinger

ENWR-106

14 October 2015

Essay 2

Holding onto grudges for a long period of time can sometimes make a person forget that there are some things you have to let go. Forgiveness is the understanding of situations and realizing that they may not be as serious as it was thought to be before. Just from the title of the poem, Forgiving My Father, it could be perceived as a poem that focuses on forgiveness, yet it’s main focus is on the negative qualities of Clifton 's father, who appears to have been a poor patriarch to both his wife and daughter through his own irresponsibility. The father was taking more than he was giving and was portrayed as an poor father and husband. The daughter explains that her mother gave her all and her father had nothing to offer. In Lucille Clifton’s , “Forgiving my Father,” Clifton’s endless stress from her deceased parents pushed her to forgive their wrongdoings and let go of the burden.

In order to forgive one must be understanding. The daughter

She informs us it is no longer her responsibility, telling us that he and her mother "were each other 's bad bargain, not mine" (Clifton, 1987). She seems to come to terms with the fact that though her father was a lousy parent and spouse. We are all born into a family and learn to make the best out of a bad situation. In essence, as she recollects the painful memories of her father 's neediness and lechery, she uses the image of an accountant and economic metaphors. She tells us, "today is payday, payday old man" (Clifton, 1987, p. 322). Concluding, it is apparent that the speaker in “Forgiving My Father” does not really forgive her father in the strictest sense of the word, she does forgive herself by absolving herself of any further responsibility for the debts she maintains he owes both her and her