the speaker towards her father begins to change. This drastic change begins in line seventeen, but is preceded by clues in the previous lines when the speaker says, She [the mother] had taught us to take it, to hate you and take it until we pricked for your annihilation (15-17). The speaker has finally realized that she only hated her father because thats what her mother taught her to do. The speaker understands that not only was her mother a victim, but her father was one as well. Her transition is seen most easily through her shift in tone. This tone is illustrated through her change in language. She starts first by addressing this man who she has despised her entire life as father (17) instead of using the word you (1). She begins to sympathize with her father, when she sees bums along the street that have been stripped of everything and feels sorry for them, the white slugs of their bodies gleam through slits in their suits of compressed silk (18-20). They had nothing. At this point the speaker realized that this same tragedy had happened to her father. He too, had nothing left and was a victim as well. Notice the speakers use of the word slugs, bodies, slits, suits, compressed, and silk in lines 18-20. The harsh tone of the first half of the poem is now replaced by softer, soothing, S sounds. Her shift in tone also illustrated her shift in images. The dark, gloomy images used in the first half of the poem have become colorful and bright. She uses references to fire, the underwater fire if their [the bums] eyes (22) and the brightness of, ships gone down with lit lanterns. (23). While these lines describe the downfall of the bums, they emphasize light at the same time. The speaker has seen the light and realized the plight of her father. The color black (13) has been replaced with the color white (18). The color white stands for purity, rebirth, and peace. The speaker has undergone a rebirth in her attitude towar...
