I believe the common theme for these three poems is hope.
In "The Chimney Sweeper", the child went through a traumatic event, being the death of her mother and the child was also rejected by his/her father. Often, kids that grow up without a parent and experience these kind of things are angry kids without any hope. The tone of the narrator doesn't sound angry, it sounds like he is accepting of his unhappy lifestyle. However, I think that, he is secretly hopeful that one day he will be free, just like his friend Tom dreams and that he will have God as a father since his own father abandoned him.
In "Mother to Son", the narrator clearly expresses her hope for her son to overcome the challenges they've gone through. The mother does not hide her hope or love, like the child from "The Chimney Sweeper". In "To my daughter", the narrator has no hope for her daughter but I think he wishes he did.
If I had to relate these three poems to gender studies, I would say that they reveal the stereotypes that males and females are given in terms of their ability to express their emotions. The boy in "The Chimney Sweeper" is unable to express his emotions and wishes like men. Also, the father in "Father to daughter", simply looks at his daughter without expressing love or hope for her, whereas the mother in "Mother to son" is fully capable of expressing her wishes, hope and love.
Good connection and comments. But is it really freedom that Tom dreams of in "The Chimney Sweeper" by Blake? In other words, is God a comparable substitute of a father? When will Tom and the speaker get to meet this father? Yes, the mother in Hughes' poem is hopeful but also realistic. The speaker in Kees' poem may have a daughter; that last line is ambiguous and up to individual interpretation.
ReplyDeleteGood connection in terms of gender, what about in terms of work or class?