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The story, the poem is depicting is about a daughter’s trip back home to see a glimpse of her sick father. It shows how she faced the obstacles hurdling in front of her. It also explains the difficult relationship she had with him but still wanted to be beside her father before he died. From the poem, we can assume that the central character, the daughter, is determined and courageous as well as loving. She was responsible enough to realise that it was a daughter’s duty to be beside her father at the time of his need, especially at the time of his death. She was motivated to be there at any cost. Thus, the daughter’s determination was remarkable.
The poem also displays a very good example of how determination and hard-work can help us to achieve our desired goal. For instance, Sharon Olds says, “and then I took a deep breath, I said goodbye to my body, goodbye to comfort, I used my legs and heart as if I would gladly use them up for this, to touch him again in this life” ( Line 15, The Race, Sharon Olds). From the given example, we get to know that the daughter was willing to do
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anything just to see and touch her father for the last time. She was ready to overcome whatever had come in her way, preventing her from meeting her sick and dying father. She gave up her comfort and ran as fast as she could to reach back home in another flight.
The examples strongly show how people are driven by determination to achieve what they want to achieve. The poem expresses how close a daughter is with her father. From the examples, we can also analyse the nature of the daughter. Watching the daughter’s hurry and focusm she was even helped by passengers on the way. The help may have motivated her even more. Thus, the poem, The Race by Sharon Olds, is a wonderful poem about a daughter’s love for her father and how she came up with alternate ways to reach her dying father. Her dedication had finally helped her achieve her goal. She, at last, meets her sick father and is filled with happiness and sadness, all at the same time. The poem can be an inspiration for us as it enables us to not give up on our goals.
