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Summary In detail analysis of "I Have my Father's Voice" by Chris Van Wyk
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Stanza by stanza in-depth analysis of IEB prescribed poem "I Have my Father's Voice" by Chris Van Wyk.
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Alexa Campbell Poetry notesI Have my Father’s Voice
Chris Van Wyk
When I walk into a room
where my father has just been
I fill the same spaces he did
from the elbows on the table 5
to the head thrown back
and when we laugh we aim the guffaw
at the same space in the air.
Before anybody has told me this I know
because I see myself through
my father's eyes. 10
When I was a pigeon-toed boy
my father used his voice
to send me to bed
to run and buy the newspaper
to scribble my way through matric. 15
He also used his voice for harsher things:
to bluster when we made a noise
when the kitchen wasn't cleaned after supper
when I was out too late.
Late for work, on many mornings, 20
one sock in hand, its twin
an angry glint in his eyes he flings
dirty clothes out of the washing box:
vests, jeans, pants and shirts shouting
anagrams of fee fo fi fum until he is up 25
to his knees in a stinking heap of laundry.
I have my father's voice too
and his fuming temper
and I shout as he does.
But I spew the words out 30
, Alexa Campbell Poetry notes
in pairs of alliteration
and an air of assonance.
Everything a poet needs
my father has bequeathed me
except the words. 35
Stanza 1
Look at the images presented in stanza 1. How do they help the reader to understand the speaker's attitude
toward his father?
Poet is similar in how he moves, stands, rests and laughs with his father. He accepts and is proud of his
father's role in his physical and behavioural development
Comment on the layers of meaning that can be applied to 'I fill the same spaces he did'.
- Literally - he is the same size and has the same movements and mannerisms
- Figuratively - he occupies the same function in society, the exact role within the family, and has the
same voice, sound, attitude, and ideas
Explain the final two lines of this stanza.
- The speaker is aware of his father's influence on him; it is within him - it is part of his internal
makeup
Stanza 2 and 3.
What is the effect of the boy being 'pigeon-toed'?
- It reminds us he is young, unsettled, insecure, and unable to find his way just yet
How would the meaning change if the word 'scribble' was replaced with 'write'?
- "write" is too formal. "scribble" shows insecurity, and the speaker wants to emphasise his youth and
reliance on his father, the dominant role his father played
What does 'bluster' mean in this context? (Use a dictionary!) How does it help to describe the father?
- "bluster" is a bellow, a loud call, which the father would use to discipline or make his point to his
children. It is forceful and aggressive, rather than guiding
Why would van Wyk not join these two stanzas into one?
- In stanza 2 the father uses his voice to give instructions, whereas in stanza 3 it is used for discipline,
so the 2 stanzas show 2 sides.
Look carefully at both stanzas. Does the tone change, or does it stay the same? Support your answer in
detail.
- The tone in stanza 3 is "harsher" and more abrupt, whereas stanza 2 guides and encourages
cooperation.
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