What's a father?

 Last week in class we read "A Story", a poem about a father trying to come up with a story for his son before bed time. I believe the main message of the poem is about the difficulties fathers (or mothers) experience trying to please their kids and also not being able to let them go as they grow old. The poem does a good job being generalized so that it is relatable to many people, with the simple title and lack of names. While the child only innocently wants to hear a new story, this task is very challenging to the father. It causes him to create a whole scenario in the future where he struggles to let his son leave. The child never meant to cause pain to the father, yet the father takes it upon himself to do everything to support his son. 

The author implies that this kind of relationship is unhealthy. As in the last lines, he states that the two sides add up to silence, where nothing is accomplished and only remains in a cycle of stress. 

Yet this poem also comments on the necessity to let go. Hidden behind the theme of the father-son relationship, the inability to let go is a cause of pain. 

As humans, our entire nature and life is temporary, and the world will always move forward. Everyone wants more time, just like how the father wishes to come up with stories while his kid is young, but thinking that this is possible only leads to problems. People are meant to forget, forgive, and let go in order to move forward in the game of life.

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