An August Afternoon
One of the most appealing aspects of childhood is the innocence that comes with it. Children especially the ones below the age of 5 years exhibit a type innocence that is very real and genuine. Branislaw Maj, the author of the poem “An August Afternoon” highlights the innocence that normally accompanies childhood and how this innocence is related to the perception about various things that children form. Childhood is characterized by some genuine innocence that results in children having an unbiased view of the world. They have no preconceived notions about worldly things as their thoughts have not been stained by experience and therefore, they communicate things sincerely and honestly as taught or directed.
In the beginning of the poem, Maj uses descriptive phrases and vivid imagery to explore the innocence of his own childhood by. . He uses explicitly descriptive terms and phrases so as to form a clear mental picture in the mind of a reader and convince him/her of the innocence of childhood from a personal experience perspective. For instance, the first part of the poem is meant to capture the immediate attention of the reader. Maj states that “An August Afternoon. Even here is heard the rush of the glittering Raba. We look the mountains, my mother and I. How clear the air is: every dark spruce on Mount Lubon”. These phrases are meant to capture the attention of the reader before the author proceeds to explore the underlying theme of his poem.
The theme of the poem is brought into light in the second part of the poem. The author begins by stating how the phenomenon that he and his mother were previously watching astonished him. Here, an element of childhood innocence is exhibited. The author states that he and his mother were both astonished but this is in real sense not plausible. The phenomenon that they witnesses was not in any way unnatural and the mother could not have been therefore ‘astonished” as the poet puts it. She was probably just playacting to appease her son who because of childhood innocence did not comprehend. In this sense, the childhood is simply following her mother’s lead. This once again exhibits the concept of childhood innocence.
The innocence of childhood is also brought not light when the poet Maj states that “I am four and do not know what it means to be four. I am happy: I do not know what to be means or happiness”. At this stage of life, a child is normally unable to control emotions because he or she does not understand these emotions in the first place. The persona in the poem is therefore just like any other child. He acknowledges that he is four but he does not actually know what being four means. The concept of years or aging is probably not familiar to him. In addition, he acknowledges that he is happy but once again, he does not understand the true meaning of happiness. To him, happiness is probably just signified by laughter.
Finally childhood innocence is further exhibited by the persona’s strict abidance to routine without questioning. For instance, Maj writes “And I know that as always in the evening we will take a walk far, up to the woods, already before long”. This line depicts one common feature of childhood innocence where children faithfully abide to a given routine introduced to them by a parent or guardian and in most instances do not question why.
In conclusion, Branislaw Maj’s “An August Afternoon” is a fine piece of writing that illustrates the basic innocence of childhood brilliantly. Using imagery and descriptive language as well as personal recollection and reflection, the author expertly delivers his message in a manner that every audient member understands clearly and can probably relate.
