A Reflection
Jean Beatty’s poem entitled “My Father Teaches Me to Dream” caught my attention from the first time I read it because it speaks of a truth that comes from wisdom. Also, I like the poem because I was able to relate to it in a sense. In reminded me of the tone my own father used to make around me when I get too caught up in my dreams that I forget the consequences of reality. I remember my father used to tell me not to expect too much. My mother would chide him for ‘ruining my dreams’ but he would always just tell her that he didn’t want me to get overexcited over nothing. It’s true that I sometimes have expectations about the kind of job I would have in the future. Who doesn’t? But through my father’s teaching, I realized that sometimes, our expectation doesn’t always amount to reality. But that’s okay because as the poem says ‘work is work.’ At the end of the day, it’s only going to be one part of my life and not the whole sum of it.
If the poem would be transformed into a painting, I can see it as a picture of a father and his young daughter. The father would have grey hairs and a stern face but his eyes would be kind as he looked down at the girl. He would be in a business suit and his daughter would be in her school uniform. His briefcase would be on his feet, forgotten. The daughter’s face would be bathed in confusion. I imagine the painting to have warm tones. Also, the light would be striking towards the father’s face. All of the said visual imagery indicates the ‘feel’ of the poem.
Work Cited:
Beatty, Jan. “My Father Teaches Me to Dream.” Poetry Foundation. Harriet Monroe Poetry
