(Untitled)

[kitty00litter]

Part 1: Reflection

Philip Larkin's "This Be the Verse" should indeed be considered "great literature”. He has written this piece not for himself but for his readers. More so than that, he has written it for all readers. Larkin suggests that human beings “fuck” up their children, and have been “fucked up” by their parents before them.  The fact

Comments

[vast_ocean]

Great point about how Thien's story mimics the rise and fall of Larkin's poem. I can really see that now that you mentioned it. I also agree that Thien does an excellent job exploring how children process information but I saw it as her processing her feelings as a child from and adults point of view. Did you find this at all?

[kitty00litter]

I never thought of it that way; I suppose Thien writes in such a way that it is difficult to tell if her thoughts are that of a child or a reminiscing adult. I would say that you could interpret it either way, as if it is the child’s thought process at the time, or the adult point of view looking back at the situation. Toward the end of the story however, where the daughter is standing in the room with her brother and mother while her father is in the doorway, it is apparent that the thoughts being expressed are that of the child at the time, and not of the adult.

[legendarysoapco]

I also commend you on catching that; I totally missed how both pieces of literature go from happy to serious. Parents play an important role on a child, but I think another force of influence is the friends of the child. It's lightly touched in "Simple Recipes" when the narrator talks about how her brother would come back caked with dirt and holding a soccer ball. Perhaps there was some unknown conflict while playing soccer.

Dun dun dunnnn.

[debbie_g]

yes - good point, legendarysoapco! I should think peer pressure would be a big factor for the son's attitudes.

[debbie_g]

I like your observant and thoughtful comments here. Good "catch" that both move from lighthearted to more serious in tone.