More traditionally poetry is used to share details of a poet’s thoughts, emotions
and views on different things that he or she has experienced. The author of the poem
“Sixteen”, Chelsea Rathburn, seems be using it to share experiences she has had
facing motherhood as a single parent but Chelsea then explains that it is a persona,
kind of like a fictional narrative. Chelsea is a creative writing professor at Young Harris
Collage and is marred to James Davis May. Together the couple had a child named
Adelyn; it is very simple to assume that she has the experiences in the poem, since it is
about a daughter and a mother just like her and her daughter, but when interviewed
Chelsea explains otherwise. When asked “Who influenced you and how …show more content…
This is something that allows us to connect directly to the poem since it is a
very common concept for a week bond between parent and teenager.
The last and most emphasised element is the repetition used in the last line of the
sonnet and how it connects directly to the title. “pray for rain, for seven, for seventeen.”
draws attention to another big concept, also enforced by allusions and symbolism. The
portion “seven” is repeated which allows us to realize the significance of the numbers in
the poem. When you are 17 you are viewed legally as a minor, still under the authority
of your parents and still not an adult; eighteen is the year that you finally become a legal
adult. When the author is saying she wishes for 17 she is making a connection to the
fact that she wishes the character was still a “kid” and not an adult. This allows us to
see that the problem the mother is facing is that her child is no longer a child; that the
child no longer wants her mother’s help but the mother is not ready to let go. This
connects to how the mother sees her daughter; as shown before she sees her
and views on different things that he or she has experienced. The author of the poem
“Sixteen”, Chelsea Rathburn, seems be using it to share experiences she has had
facing motherhood as a single parent but Chelsea then explains that it is a persona,
kind of like a fictional narrative. Chelsea is a creative writing professor at Young Harris
Collage and is marred to James Davis May. Together the couple had a child named
Adelyn; it is very simple to assume that she has the experiences in the poem, since it is
about a daughter and a mother just like her and her daughter, but when interviewed
Chelsea explains otherwise. When asked “Who influenced you and how …show more content…
This is something that allows us to connect directly to the poem since it is a
very common concept for a week bond between parent and teenager.
The last and most emphasised element is the repetition used in the last line of the
sonnet and how it connects directly to the title. “pray for rain, for seven, for seventeen.”
draws attention to another big concept, also enforced by allusions and symbolism. The
portion “seven” is repeated which allows us to realize the significance of the numbers in
the poem. When you are 17 you are viewed legally as a minor, still under the authority
of your parents and still not an adult; eighteen is the year that you finally become a legal
adult. When the author is saying she wishes for 17 she is making a connection to the
fact that she wishes the character was still a “kid” and not an adult. This allows us to
see that the problem the mother is facing is that her child is no longer a child; that the
child no longer wants her mother’s help but the mother is not ready to let go. This
connects to how the mother sees her daughter; as shown before she sees her