FATHER AND SON Flashcards
First line intro = describe text
Highly acclaimed and thought provoking …
After text intro
puts a spotlight on the importance of family relationships
What does maclaverty use
Powerful images and word choice are utilised throughout the text to engage the reader and leave them with a profound understanding of the characters and their relationships
Success of text lies with ability to
Create sorrow in the reader as he forces us to confront the harrowing relationship.
We are left (conc)
Feeling horrified and disturbed at the shocking relationship and characters within the text
3 quotes for son in frustration
-Mice have more courage.
-Your hand shakes in the morning, Da, because you are a coward.
-My mother is dead but I have another one in her place. He is an old woman.
3 quotes for tense and uneasy
-I hear the snap of the switch on the kettle
-The sound of ambulances criss-crosses the dark.
-The front door shudders as he leaves.
3 quotes ending
-A dish cloth drops from my hand and I run
-There is a strange smell.
-My son, let me put my arms around you.
Analyse -Mice have more courage. 3
-The father is being compared to an animal here. “Mice” are considered to be particularly skittish animals which elucidates our understanding of just how little respect the son has for the father.
-This is furthermore undermined by the fact that he compares him to “mice” which are considered to be vermin.
-This highlights how little respect the son has for the father.
Analyse- Your hand shakes in the morning, Da, because you are a coward. 4
-This is a strong accusation to suggest that the father doesn’t have any guts, that he is scared and frightened and doesn’t stand up for himself and his son.
-The “shaking” is evidence of this.
-The son wishes that his father was stronger and lets his frustration out in anger.
-Rationally speaking, however, his father is justified to feel scared for his own and his son’s safety.
Analyse- -My mother is dead but I have another one in her place. He is an old woman. 4
-The son accuses his father of being “an old woman” implying that his father doesn’t protect him.
-He isn’t taking action to solve the situation. Instead he compares him to a woman to emphasise just how powerless he is.
-Again the reader wonders whether this accusatory tone is the result of the son’s own fear.
-The son isn’t in control and desperately seeks someone to keep him safe – an impossibility in the chaos of the Troubles.
Analyse -The sound of ambulances criss-crosses the dark.
-“Ambulances” suggests pain, injuries and even carries the threat of death.
-The fact that they “criss-cross” emphasises that the danger is everywhere – nowhere is safe.
-The conflict caused by the Troubles affects everyone.
-“Dark” can be seen as a metaphor for the evil and threat that is outside the house.
Analyse -The front door shudders as he leaves. 3
-The word choice of “shudder” suggests trembling with fear, worry and revulsion.
-MacLaverty uses the inanimate object of the house to convey the feelings of the people inside: they fear leaving the perceived safety of the house.
-They also don’t respect each other and shudder with disgust at each other’s perceived weaknesses.
Analyse - snap of the switch 4
-“Snap” is onomatopoeic word which suggests the anger because it’s a really harsh sound.
-It emphasises how frustrated the father is with the situation – his lack of communication with his son. Because they two don’ t talk the household noises are even noisier.
-His actions suggest that the father doesn’t sleep well. We feel sympathy for the father as he doesn’t sleep and doesn’t get the chance to speak to the son.
-The son doesn’t sleep well either which also makes us feel sympathy for the son. It also suggests that the son is really worried about the current situation – he is worried that something bad will happen.
Analyse -A dish cloth drops from my hand and I run 4
-The description of “a dish cloth drops from my hand” suggests that the father acts as if on autopilot.
-He can’t even remember dropping the cloth.
-This increases our unease and fear that something terrible has happened.
-The fact that the father “runs” further implies a terrible tragedy as the father finally seems to take charge and puts his fears aside, reacting instinctively.
