Knock Knock Poem By Daniel Beaty Summary

Decent Essays
ESSAY 1 ELEANOR LOUISE WILSON
Mrs Kristan
ENGLISH 101
09/29/15

In “Knock Knock” by Daniel Beaty the purpose of the poem is is to highlight the importance of a fatherly figure during a son’s childhood. This significance is portrayed throughout the text by the authors use of repetition of symbolic phrases “knock knock”, as well as the narrative of the story being portrayed through the eyes of a child giving us a clearer indication of how it must feel to grow up without a father. The author uses a letter half way through the text which further influences how crucial a fatherly role is in a son’s life specifically, as well as highlighting this through portraying the failed lessons the child in the narrative has missed out on.

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This is further demonstrated by the author through his ability to make us feel the child’s missed opportunities and this is clearly represented by both the father and the son’s letter towards the end of the poem. Moreover, the importance of a paternal influence in a child’s life is finally highlighted at the end of the narrative during the son’s letter when the child is writing twenty five years on in his life portraying the pain he feels to missing out on life lessons that his father failed to teach him. This really stands out to the reader when the grown man refers to himself as “ a little boy trying to heal himself twenty five years later.” I believe that this shows even time cannot heal the price of a father being there during childhood and the author really emphazises this in this quote by making us sympathise for the child and showing us how important a father is for a young

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