Linda Pastan’s poem, “To a Daughter Leaving Home,” focuses on parenthood and the growing independence of a daughter. It emphasizes how time flies as a mother wraps her protective arms around her daughter and guides her down life’s path to become a strong, self-confident young woman. The poem reveals the struggle a mother must overcome and the fears of letting go, while allowing her daughter the freedom to grow and flourish, forging into a world alone and unprotected.
Pastan begins her poem as if a mother were telling a story from long, long ago, which adds a nostalgic tone. She uses a simple metaphor of a mother teaching her daughter to ride a bike which is very identifiable and relatable. Just as most people have been taught to ride a bike, they have also followed someone down the path of life in order to find their way. The reader is transported back …show more content…
It is evident that the mother’s guidance is needed to support her daughter as Pastan writes, “as you wobbled away / on two round wheels” (lines 5–6).
As a daughter learns to deal with life and find her way, she leans on her mother to transverse the uncharted territory. Pastan symbolizes the twists and turns one must navigate in life as she describes the bike path the mother and daughter are traveling on in the park (9–10).
As the mother realizes her daughter has become a strong individual, ready for the challenges of life, the reader feels the emotions of both sadness and pride. In perhaps the most vivid part of the poem, Pastan’s application of simile illustrates a daughters farewell to her mother, “the hair flapping / behind you like a / handkerchief waving / goodbye” (21–24).
By passionately relating to her readers, Pastan conveys a significant connotation of a mother’s encouragement of her daughter, the lessons of avoiding life’s pitfalls, and the transitions of
Pastan begins her poem as if a mother were telling a story from long, long ago, which adds a nostalgic tone. She uses a simple metaphor of a mother teaching her daughter to ride a bike which is very identifiable and relatable. Just as most people have been taught to ride a bike, they have also followed someone down the path of life in order to find their way. The reader is transported back …show more content…
It is evident that the mother’s guidance is needed to support her daughter as Pastan writes, “as you wobbled away / on two round wheels” (lines 5–6).
As a daughter learns to deal with life and find her way, she leans on her mother to transverse the uncharted territory. Pastan symbolizes the twists and turns one must navigate in life as she describes the bike path the mother and daughter are traveling on in the park (9–10).
As the mother realizes her daughter has become a strong individual, ready for the challenges of life, the reader feels the emotions of both sadness and pride. In perhaps the most vivid part of the poem, Pastan’s application of simile illustrates a daughters farewell to her mother, “the hair flapping / behind you like a / handkerchief waving / goodbye” (21–24).
By passionately relating to her readers, Pastan conveys a significant connotation of a mother’s encouragement of her daughter, the lessons of avoiding life’s pitfalls, and the transitions of