The cardinally new style of the expressed idea is presented in the poem My Son, My Executioner by Donald Hall. The poem presents the point of view of the parent, for whom the born child is the executioner. The very origin of the idea is emphasized by the short size of the poem, which, however, makes it possible to convey the meaning to the reader in just a few quatrains.
The theory of new criticism is based on an in-depth analysis of the details of the work. Such details may include emotionally-powered words, vocabulary, atmosphere, and other aspects of an artwork (Di Leo, 2020). Mostly, the theory of new criticism is projected onto poems. A poem for analysis is My Son, My Executioner by Donald Hall.
Figurative expressions are powerful language tools used in a poem. Hall cites symbolisms such as that the parent says that his son will become his executioner, which is a figurative expression since in reality, the son will not execute him but will play a role in his approaching death. The figurative meaning is used for the purpose of the creation of contrasting metaphors. This adds tension to the poem and grabs the interest of the readers.
Moreover, the author also uses a wide variety of words rarely found in everyday life in combination, such as “instrument of immortality,” which give a deeper meaning to the poem (Hall, 1973). Thus, Hall’s version of diction lends more emotion to the poem by drawing attention to minimal details through phrases and word combinations. Special use of words aims to create an atmosphere in the poem and transmit it to the reader.
An additional advantage of the poem is that the author uses a realistic scenario as having a baby has a significant impact on parents in real life. The poem’s realism allows the reader to project events onto his own life and to form opinions and attitudes. The philosophical theme of the extinction of the life of parents from the birth of a new life is raised. The poem clearly expresses the scenario according to which a parent sees death approaching in his child, but at the same time treats him with trepidation and love (Hall, 1973). This is again the contrast that Hall uses to give a greater semantic load to the poem. The contrasting approach emphasizes several aspects at once, such as the unconditional love of the parent, generational turnover, and limited life span. Thus, for some readers, the meaning will be revealed only with the next reading and will also provide an opportunity to look for additional hidden meanings in the lines.
The use of the executioner metaphor in relation to a child is non-standard. Usually, the birth of a child is associated and identified with a new life. In this case, the emphasis is on the death theme. This unconventional decision to consider the birth of a child from a different angle draws additional attention to the essence of the poem. Therefore, the author effectively conveys the idea of the poem, and it is possible to interpret and ponder the meaning from different angles.
The personification of impending death in a child also offers several perspectives to consider. First, the idea of a child as an executioner has negative connotations. At the same time, it is clear that the parent has a positive attitude towards the child, which can be considered from the point of view of a positive attitude towards his own impending death and acceptance of it. With the period of growing up of the son, the parent is getting closer to the end of the life. It is an uninterrupted and inevitable process of death with old age. This idea is given drama and philosophy in the article. Thus, the poem contains a deep meaning of several ideas at once.
With regard to the linguistic aspects of the poem, different styles are used in different lines. Alliteration is used with repetition of the letters “c” and “i” in lines five and six. The poem is short, but the writing style allows it to convey the main idea in a few lines. The uniform style of the language is not maintained throughout the poem; the author varies the style along with the change in the angle of consideration of the topic.
In addition, the meaning in the poem develops gradually. The first lines draw attention through their cardinal idea, and then the metamorphism of the expression about the son, who is the so-called executioner of the parent, is explained in detail. This allows the reader to be captivated through the expressions used and to draw attention to further developments. Starting with one idea and an exciting line about the role of the executioner for a child, Hall then keeps the dramatic theme but clarifies the imagery of this expression. The parent has a positive attitude towards the birth of a child, he is happy about this, but this is what led him to the idea of the limited lifetime.
The poem expresses feelings and sensations, both internal and physical. Their complex combination allows immersing readers in the atmosphere. Parents who previously considered themselves immortal begin to realize the transience and extinction of their own life. They understand that with the development of their child, the opposite process occurs in their life. At the same time, from the poem, the author’s bias is noticeable in considering this idea precisely from the point of view of the approaching death. The entire poem is aimed at conveying this position. While looking from the other angle, the child’s life does not have a direct impact on the approach of the death of the parents. Therefore, the poem aims to convey the idea of awareness of the limitations of the period of life rather than being objective and truly realistic.
The poem brings the parallels between the life of the child and the parents. It is said that at twenty-two and twenty-five years old, the parents believed that their life would last forever (Hall, 1973). This emphasizes another important idea of the poem, which is that nothing lasts forever, and even those who imagine immortality sooner or later come to the idea that their life is beginning to fade away and is approaching its logical conclusion. At the same time, the child’s life is just beginning, and he only has to go through this turning point of age.
In conclusion, Hall uses figurative language, diction and vocabulary effectively to convey meaning to the reader. In three quatrains, he successfully conveyed several philosophic ideas at once. The author uses a style of description in which the reader is enticed from the very beginning due to a non-standard title.
References
Di Leo, Jeffrey R. “The New New Criticism: Antitheory, Autonomy, and the Literary Text from Object-Oriented Ontology to Postcritique.” The Comparatist, vol. 44, no. 1, 2020. Web.
Hall, Donald. My Son, My Executioner, 1973.