For My Daughter
By Weldon Kees
Looking into my daughter’s eyes I read
Beneath the innocence of morning flesh
Concealed, hintings of death she does not heed.
Coldest of winds have blown this hair, and mesh
Of seaweed snarled these miniatures of hands;
The night’s slow poison, tolerant and bland,
Has moved her blood. Parched years that I have seen
That may be hers appear: foul, lingering
Death in certain war, the slim legs green.
Or, fed on hate, she relishes the sting
Of others’ agony; perhaps the cruel
Bride of a syphilitic or a fool.
These speculations sour in the sun.
I have no daughter. I desire none.
Summary of For My Daughter
- Popularity of “For My Daughter”: Weldon Kees, an influential American poet, and writer wrote this ironic literary piece. It became quite popular when published due to the presentation of the likely personal loss of the poet and its attendant fear. It was first published in 1940. The poem exhibits the speaker’s fears about the person that does not exist. It also highlights how his worries never allow him to taste the fruits of parenthood. The poem deals with the speculations and fears associated with the future of a dear one.
- “For My Daughter” As a Representative of Sorrow: This poem is about a man contemplating the fears of having a daughter of his own in the future. The poem begins when he starts meditating on the doomed destiny of his imaginary daughter. He can read the horrors of looming death in her innocent eyes. Later, he talks about the dark world in which his daughter will spend her life. He fears that this bleak world would feed her on hate and negative impulses after which she will relish the sting of other’s pain. Keeping the negative and horrific images in mind, the speaker does not want his imaginary daughter to taste the bitter fruits of this world. The speaker’s realistic yet negative approach to the world and how it will play havoc with the life of his imaginary daughter makes this poem unique.
- Major Themes in “For My Daughter”: Negativity, strong imagination, and fears of the suffering of a dear one are the major themes of the poem. The poem presents the dark and gloomy image of the world from the speaker’s eyes. To him, this world corrodes the innocence of people. It steals their positivity and instills bitterness into a person. Therefore, the speaker chooses not to have a daughter because he only sees suffering and distress in the future. Throughout the poem, the reader can feel the father’s concern that, unlike every parent, Kees also wants to have a prosperous future for his children. Once he realizes that he cannot change the world, he decides not to become a parent.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “For My Daughter”
literary devices are modes that represent the writer’s ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is through these devices the writers make their few words meaningful to the readers. Weldon Kees used some literary devices in this poem to make it appealing. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been listed below.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions. For example, the sound of /s/ in “Of seaweed snarled these miniatures of hands”.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /a/ in “Of others’ agony; perhaps the cruel” and the sound of /i/ in “Or, fed on hate, she relishes the sting.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /sh/ in “Or, fed on hate, she relishes the sting” and the sound of /d/ in “Has moved her blood. Parched years that I have seen Has moved her blood. Parched years that I have seen”.
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“Looking into my daughter’s eyes I read
Beneath the innocence of morning flesh
Concealed, hintings of death she does not heed.”
- Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a device used to exaggerate a statement for the sake of emphasis. For example, the following verse, “Coldest of winds have blown this hair, and mesh” exaggerates the changing nature of time.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Looking into my daughter’s eyes I read”, “Coldest of winds have blown this hair, and mesh” and “These speculations sour in the sun.”
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. The title of the poem is ironic as it hints about something surprising or exciting but ironically the poet portrays the father’s fears for his daughter.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from the literal meanings. “Parched years” symbolize the acute misery the speaker might have endured in the past.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “For My Daughter”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, “sun/none”, “cruel/fool”, and “read/heed.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are fourteen lines in this poem with no stanza break.
Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are suitable to use when talking about the troubles and problems one might have endured in the past.
“Parched years that I have seen
That may be hers appear: foul, lingering
Death in certain war, the slim legs green…”
