Summary I Have My Father's Voice by Chris van Wyk Comprehensive Analysis

Notes by Roxanne Willemse


I Have My Father’s Voice by Chris van Wyk

Structure

 Free verse – informal, conversational, anecdotal, relaxed
 Disorganised structure, and lack of rhyme scheme and regular rhythm reflects randomness
of memory and recollection of fragmented memories
 Stanzas used to represent/discuss different aspects of his relationship with his father
o Stanza 1: description of the mannerisms that are shared between the father and the
son
o His experiences growing up with his father
o The impact his father had on him

Language

 The speaker is the poet – uses 1st person pronouns
 Anaphora – poetic device where a word is repeated three times
 Colloquial register
 Tenses
o Stanza 1: present tense – focus on the ‘now’, speakers point of view
o Stanza 2: past tense – remembers his childhood
o Stanza 3: past tense
o Stanza 4: present tense – sense of immediacy
o Stanza 5: present tense

Movement

 No fixed rhyme scheme

Imagery

 Domestic – laundry
 Fairy tale – Jack and the Beanstalk
 Senses are engaged: sound, sight, touch (visceral response to memories)

Intention

 Autobiographical
 To comment on the process and discipline required to write poetry
 To discuss:
o Similarities he shares with his father
o His experiences growing up with his father
o The impact his father had on him
 Message: no matter how many characteristics one inherits from one’s parents, one is an
individual and has one’s own mode of expression
 A tribute to the poet’s father – a flawed man who unconsciously taught his son to use his
emotions in a constructive/creative manner (sympathy and respect for the father)

Themes

 Inheritance and legacy
o Normally positive connotations

, Notes by Roxanne Willemse


o Inheriting trauma – blames father for his anger issues but tries to redirect to see
shared traits as positive
 Familial relationships and childhood/adolescence

Tone

 Ironic, introspective, earnest
 Stanza 2: humorous, affectionately light-hearted
 Stanza 3: nostalgia
 Stanza 4: nostalgia, frustration
 Alternatively: accusatory (blaming father for conflict in the household)

Sounds

 Use of phonic devices reinforces his word choice
 Alliteration of ‘a’
 Assonance of ‘ai’ sound

Line by Line Analysis

Title

 Declaration/statement that implies the speaker has inherited a character trait/physical
connection to his father
 Assumption that the poem will be about identity, sense of self, exploration of father-son
relationship

Lines 1-10 (Stanza 1)

 Speaker reflects on how his childhood has influenced him
 Description of the mannerisms that are shared between father and son – the speaker
acknowledges these similarities
 Similarities between father and son:
o Describes how they ‘fill the same spaces’ physically
o Sit alike at the table
o Laugh in the same way (positive connotations)
 ‘through his father’s eyes’ – indicates a close relationship because he is able to put himself in
his father’s shoes/see from his perspective
 ‘guffaw’ – choice of diction: loud, raucous and hearty laugh that does not hold anything
back, both men do not hold back on their emotions (expression)
 Shares idiosyncrasies – views similarities fondly
 ‘I know’ – placed at end of line, emphasizes words as main idea of the sentence

Lines 11-15 (Stanza 2)

 Speaker uses humour in description of himself – ‘pigeon-toed’, ‘scribble’ (self-deprecating)
 Father’s strictness is highlighted
 Childhood memories that reflect the awkwardness of youth
 Father’s tone of voice: commanding - giving orders, wants things done and son must do
them, father used his voice as a tool or weapon