Language And Punctuation In 'A Story' By Li-Young Lee

Throughout the poem “A Story,” Li-Young Lee uses carefully selected language and punctuation, as well as a variety of line and stanza structure, to provide insight into the way that a father views the complex relationship shared by him and his son. The poem opens up with a short, two-line stanza that conveys a solemn feeling through one impactful sentence. The very placement of the word “man” towards the center of the first line establishes a focal point, or emphasis, on this one character, who is presumably the father, and sets the poem up to be a reflection of the way he feels. This man is apparently saddened that he “can’t come up with” a “new” story for his “five-year-old son,” who is introduced in the next short stanza. Instead of being one long sentence like the first stanza, this one is broken up into four abrupt sentences across the three lines, creating a feeling of bursting excitement and shortness of breath. The affectionate term “Baba” that is introduced in this stanza for the father as well, on top of the …show more content…
that the] boy will” leave him, as he desperately begs for the “boy” to stay and listen to the stories he’s already heard and used to enjoy “once more.” This is where the relationship shown between the father and son starts to take …show more content…
The opening of this stanza, “the boy is here,” adds to this feeling as well, pulling both the poem and the father back to the present. As in the beginning, the son is asking for “a story,” creating a sort of “emotional” plea. The poem wraps itself up with a return to that initial feeling of closeness in the relationship between father and son through the explanation that the “father’s love’ towards the son is the reason why he feels so much pressure and, albeit irrational, fear of disappointing the boy with his