The Shape of Childhood

Experiences in your childhood shape the very definition of youth. Many have reminisce the memories of adolescents with a sense of revelation and felicity as seen in Margaret Atwood’s “Bored” and Dylan Thomas’ “Fern Hill.” Others dread such memories, as noted in Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” and Fleur Adcock’s “The Video.” All recall some form of subconscious that resides from past memories.

Atwood conveys a character’s “boredom” through examples of physical activities. The character sees the actions and sights of her childhood orienting around boredom and disinterest. Revelation arises when boredom is associated with happiness. The character awaits freedom from such ordinary lifestyles but realizes the comfort, shelter, and sufficiency of her situation. Such memories have allowed the character to appreciate living such youth.

The happy memories of Thomas’ “Fern Hill” are ones of appreciation that the speaker misses. The vivid memories of such a place “trail with daisies and barley” where he “was green and carefree” give readers a visual interpretation of his happiest memories. The speaker’s works give pictures of felicity and glee.

We see the other side of the spectrum of how youth is shaped through childhood experiences in Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz.” In this poem, the speaker talked of his father’s drinking escapades. His abusive encounters during adolescents have outlined his view of his father. What stands out from the poem is the characterization of his father’s drunkenness through dance. It seems the harsh reality of drinking and abuse has been compared to the graceful Waltz.

And what can shape memory better than neglect. In Adcock’s “The Video,” the focus of the poem is on the new born Laura. By the end, we notice the switch in attention from one child to the other. Many may not notice the lack of equal attention. However, the children always notice. In this case, the child rewinds the tape of the sister’s birth, showing her desire of turning back time, before another kin was added to the family. Overall, childhood memories are established by the experiences that shape it. Whether full of glee or disappointment, such events determine the memoirs of your youth.