Homage To Buck Cline Analysis

Transforming into an adult can be difficult. Everyone has their own unique way of going about it. Luckily, popular writers go through these changing times as well, and readers get a relatable story out of it. In response, David Bottoms crafted “Homage to Buck Cline,” a coming of age poem. Within the poem the reader sees how the young narrator relates to both Buck Cline and his father and grows to respect them both. The narrator and his father’s relationship is like most normal father son relationships. In homage to buck cline the over masculine police officer buck cline lets young David bottoms go without a ticket. The poem reads, “How many stars in your crown? One certainly for the night you spared me for my father…” (31). This illustrates Buck Cline has a softer side, he did not give the narrator a ticket for the sake of his father. Earlier in the poem the father was said to be a hardworking man that everyone respected. The ticket would just hassle the father and buck cline understood the he is extremely busy and on a budget. The …show more content…
From the beginning the narrator shows his discontentment towards Buck Cline for example, he has a reputation of being, “tough” (31). The narrator perceives buck cline as big and someone that is not to be messed with. As the poem progresses readers unravel a different Buck Cline. One that is compassionate and against all stigma has a heart. Other policemen would write a ticket and send the kid home but Buck Cline thinks about senior David Bottoms when he says, “You think you can whup your daddy’s ass” (32)? He says this meaning that if the narrator does not straighten out then he will get his daddy to teach him a lesson. In the end, Buck Cline and the narrator both gain respect for each other, this is shown when the narrator exclaims, “a little shrine… Saint Buck...” (33). The narrator opens his eyes to see that Buck Cline is a noble person after