By: LEENA KHAN
Staff Writer
Title: The title reveals that the poem is going to be a narrative about a young girl who is reaching a milestone and how that emotionally affects her mother.
Paraphrase: The mother realizes her daughter is growing up; getting married. She is reflective of her daughter’s childhood and has to come to the understanding that her daughter does not need her anymore.
Connotation :
- “Red thread” (line 7+27). Symbolism – the red thread is recurring and it represents her mother’s role in her childhood and how she fixed things for her daughter and was there for her.
- “Spool of her heart” (line 28). Metaphor – her mother is giving her as much love as she can to her daughter before her daughter moves on to a new life.
- “Her hips gently swaying like bamboo” (line 24). Simile – represents her daughter growing up and maturing.
Attitude: In the beginning, the poem has a reflective tone. Reminiscing on her daughter’s childhood, the mom recounts these memories. After the tone shifts mid-way into the poem, it becomes melancholy as the mother realizes she will have a new role in her daughter’s life and is letting go. She also seems proud of the way that her daughter is becoming independent.
Shifts: There is a tone shift between lines 18 and 19. The mother is reflective and proud of her daughter and recounts how she is raised. After the shift, the mother is reminiscent of that time when her daughter was growing up and the tone is melancholy because now her daughter is getting married and moving on.
Title: It captures how difficult it is for a present mother to watch their daughters leave after years of bonding and building an irreplaceable bond.
Theme: Mothers letting go; Letting go of a person you have watched grow up and reach milestones is one of the most arduous things to experience.