Childhood

Within life, we understand things once we have moved past them and looked back. Experiences are re-lived through memory with a perspective that develops after the fact. Commonly, these experiences are from childhood—things that at the time seemed normal or minute but later become an integral part of learning. In the works of Dylan Thomas, Fleur Adcock, Theodore Roethke, and Margaret Atwood, childhood remembrances lead the speakers to rethink the past, leading to a new perspective.
Dylan Thomas’ Fern Hill captures the essence of adult nostalgia. The speaker, being of many years, begins his discourse by fantasizing his childhood. He makes mention of his days of happiness and carefree being. His childhood was accompanied by much imagination and play. As an adult, the speaker looks back upon those days gone with a sense of longing. Life as a child seemed to be so easy and free as compared to adulthood. This aspect goes unnoticed until maturity though and looking back on all the carefree-spent years can bring happiness to a person once again.
In Fleur Adcock’s The Video the speaker takes a third person perspective to the dynamics within a family. When the parents of Ceri had another daughter, she was no longer the center of attention. This shift occurred immediately at the birth of the other when Ceri was pushed aside by her father so he could get a better glimpse of his newborn. This incident was a major turning point in the life of little Ceri—never again would things be the same. Long after the birth, Ceri was described to be obsessively watching the video of her sister’s birth. Ironically, after each time that she watched it, she rewound it and watched her younger sibling go right back in. In retrospect, the birth of the second child had a major impact on the main character. Although she was a child at the time and may not have realized it, Ceri was very unwelcoming of the newcomer. The presence of another lead Ceri to a change in lifestyle and way of being; it was an integral part of her development.
Unlike the first two, My Papa’s Waltz, Theodore Roethke, takes on the perspective of a young boy. A major aspect of this boy’s childhood was his relationship to his father. Often the two danced together before bed in an act portraying love and reliance. The speaker clung to his father for the steps and rhythm of the “waltz”—metaphorically speaking for support and teaching. This ritual played a major role in the boy’s childhood and is an experience that he recalls as an adult. The time spent with his father was a time for learning and bonding—an intricate part of growing up.
Taking on a different perspective to childhood memories, the speaker in Margaret Atwood’s Bored describes the various duties she helped out with as a child. She makes reference to “Holding the log while he sawed it. Holding the string while he measured” (lines 2-4). The speaker makes many notes to how repetitive and “boring” the work was that she helped out with. As a child she had no use for the mediocre tasks and saw no meaning within them. Looking back as an adult though, she sees their purpose. If she were to take on the tasks again, there would be no boredom found in them simply because of her gained understanding. Over time, she has accumulated wisdom to help to make sense of those mediocre things. This wisdom would lead to enjoyment in the tasks.
As children, humans face many experiences that don’t seem to make sense. These experiences are then stored as memories and re-lived by the adult mind. After years of learning, these memories may finally make sense or their morals revealed. Within all four of the assigned pieces, the writers capture the essences of childhood and the lessons that come from the revival of its memories.