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POETRY: Father Returning Home (Appreciation)

Father Returning Home

Appreciation of the Poem 

Q. Write a poetic appreciation of the poem ‘Father Returning Home’.

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Answer:

"Father Returning Home" by Dilip Chitre, an Indian bilingual poet who wrote in Marathi and English. Is a poem that captures the isolation and alienation of a father returning from work to his family. The title itself suggests a journey, not just a physical one, but an emotional and psychological return that seems incomplete and disconnected. Chitre's depiction of his own father highlights the struggle of a common man in an urban landscape.

The theme of the poem revolves around alienation, loneliness, and the disconnection between generations. It portrays the monotonous life of the father, his isolation in a fast-paced world, and the emotional distance between him and his family with vivid visuals.

Dilip Chitre employs free verse. The tone of the poem is unsentimental, sad and dull. The language used is contemporary. The poem does not have any rhyme. It is written in the form of a dramatic monologue, depicting the father’s mundane experiences.

The poem is divided into two stanzas that mirror the father’s physical journey back home and his mental state. The poet has made use of pictorial words to describe the pathetic condition of the father. The vivid phrases help us visualize the picture of the uncared father making his way home. For example, the father’s image on the “train” with “soggy” clothes and a “black raincoat stained with mud” is a defeated and sad visual. Poetic devices like Simile, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia are used in this poem. 

The poem conveys the message that the generational gap between the father and his children is something common in today’s urban life. It highlights that the father comes home after a tiring day at work and there is no one to care for him or engage him in conversation. This serves as a reminder of the importance of emotional connections in family life.

I like this poem for its practicality and brutally honest depiction of modern life also the aging of father and his unnoticed sacrifices along with value of communication for children with their fathers and that they must not be taken for granted.


Regards,

Prof. Chirag Jain

Glossary of words.

  1. Alienation (Noun) : The feeling that you have no connection with the people around you .
  2. Monotonous (Adj)Very boring because it has a regular, repeated pattern which never changes.
  3. Contemporary (Adj) : (Here the meaning is: the way people currently speak or write.)

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