Figure of Speech in Father to Son Class 11 Hornbill In-Depth Analysis | Figures of Language

By | January 23, 2024
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Here is Father to Son, a detailed exploration and explanation of the figure of speech and its many facets.  In this post, we have explained various examples of figurative speech, providing a comprehensive understanding of Father to Son in terms of all Poetic Device. We have also told the reason why a particular figure of speech occurs in a particular line. This is going to help the children of various classes Class XI. Dive in for figure of speech examples- 

Figure of Speech in Father to Son Stanza 1

“I do not understand this child  
Though we have lived together now  
In the same house for years. I know  
Nothing of him, so try to build  
Up a relationship from how  
He was when small. Yet have I killed”

1. Figure of Speech: Enjambment  
Exact Line: The entire stanza, particularly between “years. I know / Nothing of him, so try to build”  
Reason: The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza creates a flow that reflects the ongoing and unresolved nature of the father’s thoughts and feelings.

2. Figure of Speech: Paradox  
Exact Line: “Yet have I killed”  
Reason: This phrase suggests a contradiction as the act of ‘killing’ something is typically associated with destruction, not the nurturing environment implied by living together in a family.

3. Figure of Speech: Irony  
Exact Line: “Though we have lived together now / In the same house for years. I know / Nothing of him”  
Reason: It is ironic that the father and son have lived together for years, yet the father admits to knowing nothing about his son, which is contrary to what one would expect in such a close living arrangement.

4. Figure of Speech: Anaphora
Exact Line: The repetition of “I” in “I do not understand,” “I know,” and “I killed”
Reason: The use of “I” at the beginning of these phrases is anaphora, emphasizing the speaker’s personal reflection and internal conflict.

5. Figure of Speech: Internal Rhyme
Exact Line: “build” and “killed” 
Reason: The words “build” and “killed” create an internal rhyme within the stanza, adding a subtle rhythmic quality and linking the ideas of creation and destruction.

6. Figure of Speech: Juxtaposition
Exact Line: “Nothing of him, so try to build / Up a relationship from how / He was when small.”
Reason: The contrast between the speaker’s current lack of understanding and the attempt to reconnect based on past memories of the child creates a juxtaposition, highlighting the change over time.

Also Read:

Father to Son Poetic Device Stanza- 2

The seed I spent or sown it where
The land is his and none of mine?
We speak like strangers, there’s no sign
Of understanding in the air.
This child is built to my design
Yet what he loves I cannot share.

1. Figure of Speech: Metaphor  
Exact Line: “The seed I spent or sown it where / The land is his and none of mine?”  
Reason: The father compares his efforts in raising his son to planting a seed in land, symbolizing the growth and development of his son in an environment (life) that he feels he no longer shares.

2. Figure of Speech: Rhetorical Question  
Exact Line: “The land is his and none of mine?”  
Reason: This question is used not for the purpose of obtaining an answer but to express the father’s sense of estrangement and bewilderment about his relationship with his son.

3. Figure of Speech: Simile  
Exact Line: “We speak like strangers, there’s no sign / Of understanding in the air.”  
Reason: The comparison of their communication to that of strangers highlights the profound disconnect between father and son.

4. Figure of Speech: Irony  
Exact Line: “This child is built to my design / Yet what he loves I cannot share.”  
Reason: It’s ironic that despite the son being ‘built’ by the father (implying influence and guidance), the father cannot connect with or share in his son’s passions.

5. Figure of Speech: Paradox  
Exact Line: “The seed I spent or sown it where / The land is his and none of mine?”  
Reason: There is a paradox in the idea of planting something (influence, values, love) in someone else (the son), yet finding that the resulting ‘land’ (the son’s personality and life) feels completely alien to the planter (the father).

Also Read:

Figures of Speech Poem – Father to Son Stanza- 3

Silence surrounds us. I would have
Him prodigal, returning to
His father’s house, the home he knew,
Rather than see him make and move
His world. I would forgive him too,
Shaping from sorrow a new love.
Analyzing the third stanza for figures of speech:

1. Figure of Speech: Personification  
Exact Line: “Silence surrounds us.”  
Reason: Silence is given a human-like quality as if it physically envelops the father and son, emphasizing the emotional and communicative gap between them.

2. Figure of Speech: Allusion  
Exact Line: “Him prodigal, returning to”  
Reason: This is an allusion to the biblical story of the Prodigal Son, suggesting a hope for reconciliation and return to familial bonds.

3. Figure of Speech: Oxymoron  
Exact Line: “Shaping from sorrow”  
Reason: The juxtaposition of ‘shaping’ (which implies creation or construction) with ‘sorrow’ (a negative, destructive emotion) creates an oxymoron, highlighting the complexity of the father’s emotions.

4. Figure of Speech: Irony  
Exact Line: “I would forgive him too,”  
Reason: It’s ironic because the father’s need for forgiveness implies a wrongdoing by the son, yet the poem suggests the issue is more about emotional distance than any specific transgression.

Father to Son Poetic Device Stanza- 4

Father and son, we both must live
On the same globe and the same land,
He speaks: I cannot understand
Myself, why anger grows from grief.
We each put out an empty hand,
Longing for something to forgive.

1- Figure of Speech: Paradox
Exact Line: “why anger grows from grief.”
Reason: The concept of anger growing from grief is a paradox, as these emotions are typically seen as separate or sequentially experienced rather than interdependent.

2- Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: “We each put out an empty hand,”
Reason: The image of an empty hand being extended is a metaphor for the desire to connect and reconcile, despite the lack of emotional substance or understanding in their relationship.

3- Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: “Longing for something to forgive.”
Reason: It’s ironic because the desire for forgiveness implies a clear fault or transgression, yet the poem suggests a more complex emotional disconnect that isn’t easily attributable to specific actions or mistakes.

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