In their autumnal, a lot of people tend to plunge into their memories and recollect their reckless and carefree youth. Some of them feel happy and gleeful about their past, some of them feel sad and miss those days, the other regret of their deeds or inaction. The narrator of the poem Advice to My Son, being a wise mature man, decides to share his priceless wisdom and experience in life with his son. The poem is written in a form of didactical morality that the father addresses to his son.
The narrator starts the poem with the edification: “The trick is, to live your days as if each one may be your last.” (Meinke) With these words he wants to say that is important to appreciate every day of your life and value every minute of it. As a lot of young people do not care about the time and can spend it on unnecessary things. Such a young age and a lot of ambitions and possibilities may bring bad consequences. The author uses metonymy to show possible results of young people being happy-go-lucky. “The shattered windshield” is referred to a car crash and “the bursting shell” may stand for army and military actions. The narrator implies that his son as well as the reader should be careful in life and have some plans for future, because only God knows your destination after death – heaven or hell.
Also the father advises his son not to lose his head after falling in love. The man should think rational and do not let his heart influence on his actions and decisions. His says: “Beauty is nectar and nectar, in a desert, saves – but the stomach craves stronger sustenance than the honeyed vine.” (Meinke) The remark is made in a humorous way, as he reminds that his son should not forget to eat. Likewise, he suggests his son to marry a girl after getting acquainted with her mother, because she is an image of the girl in the deep future.
John Crawford Lies
In my opinion, lie is always wrong. From my own experience I must say that every lie I have ever told in my life had been exposed, sooner or later. Furthermore, it brought even worse consequences. It is better to tell the truth in any case and be honest to yourself. It will help to avoid remorse and have a clear conscience.
The main character and the narrator of Lies is John Crawford. The narrator is a soldier, who had an opportunity to visit his family and had to go back to his military service. He lies to his fallow Sellers that he enjoyed staying at home with his wife. Moreover, he lies to his family that he is glad to see them, but instead feels insecure: “I didn’t tell him that being alone, with no one to watch your back, left you feeling naked and helpless.” (Crawford)
My Son the Marine? by Frank Schaeffer
Work Cited
Crawford, John. The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. Print.
James, Missy, and Alan Merickel. Reading Literature And Writing Argument. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
