Abstract
Addressing the Absence of Fatherhood
This poem is the culmination of an epidemic crisis that has progressively deteriorated the structure and foundation of the modern American family. Dilapidated relationships between fathers and their offspring can cause long-term instability to the child’s psychological development. In some cases, children question their self-worth by placing blame upon themselves as the sole catalyst for their father’s detachment from their lives. Over an extended period of time, numerous studies on the subject have determined that children raised in America without the positive patriarchal influence that a single mother is simply physically, mentally and biologically incapable of providing are more likely to engage in degenerate behavior. While American fathers continue to devalue the responsibilities and priorities associated with good parenting skills, children are simultaneously searching to fill and replace a fatherless void that insistently creates a need for external acceptance and approval. The absence of fatherhood within the American household is drastically exacerbated by the amalgamation of substandard role models and purposeless entertainment that inevitably penetrates the walls of the average American home by means of technological advances that have become commonplace in association with various American media sources. The free verse poem entitled, “What you want from me!?” illustrates various literary elements and techniques, exemplified by mood, dialogue, metaphors, imagery, and alliteration, in order to convey a psychological perspective along with the personal experiences of a fatherless child attempting to gain closure from an absentee father.
Key Words: Fatherhood, Absence, American family, Free verse, Poem, What you want from me!?
