September, First Day at School
By Harvard Nemerov
My child and I hold hands on the way to school,
And when I leave him at the first-grade door
He cries a little but is brave; he does
Let go. My selfish tears remind me how
I cried before that door a life ago.
I may have had a hard time letting go.
Each fall the children must endure together
What every child also endures alone:
Learning the alphabet, the integers,
Three dozen bits and pieces of a stuff
So arbitrary, so peremptory,
That worlds invisible and visible
Bow down before it, as in Joseph's dream
The sheaves bowed down and then the stars bowed down
Before the dreaming of a little boy.
That dream got him such hatred of his brothers
As cost the greater part of life to mend,
And yet great kindness came of it in the end.
A school is where they grind the
grain of thought,
And grind the children who must mind the thought.
It may be those two grindings are but one,
As from the alphabet come Shakespeare's Plays,
As from the integers comes Euler's Law,
As from the whole, inseparably, the lives,
The shrunken lives that have not been set free
By law or by poetic phantasy.
But may they be. My child has disappeared
Behind the schoolroom door. And should I live
To see his coming forth, a life away,
I know my hope, but do not know its form
Nor hope to know it. May the fathers he finds
Among his teachers have a care of him
More than his father could. How that will look
I do not know, I do not need to know.
Even our tears belong to ritual.
But may great kindness come of it in the end.
Central idea
Sometimes the
experience of separation is lifetime but ends into pleasure. Every individual
has to bear his or her difficulties alone.
Theme
Education and let go
is important in life. The great kindness comes at the end of parting and
difficulties just as in Joseph’s case.
Summary
The poem September,
first day at school by Harvard Nemerov is about the experience and hopes of a
father for his son.
The poem describes
the father’s sentiments when he compares his son’s first day at school with his
own. The poem first focuses on emotions
and the latter talks about the purpose of school and education. He describes
that how the children have to endure whatever goes on in the school. It is
important for them to learn the concepts step by step. He wishes to have
father-like figures as teachers at school. The great kindness comes at the
end-just as in Joseph’s case. The tears at the time of separation time are
ceremonial, and selfish. Sometimes the
experience of separation is life time but will end into pleasure. Every
individual has to bear his or her difficulties alone.
Figure of
speech
Stanza
There are 6 stanzas
in the poem
Or
There are 4 strophes
in the poem. The poem is divided in an irregular and unrhymed manner called
strophes.
Metaphor
(A literal comparison of two different things)
Arbitrary,
Peremptory
They are used as a
metaphor for life the narrator’s as well as his son’s friends and general.
Alliteration
(occurrence of same letter or sound at adjacent words)
Poetic
phantasy, hold hands
Imagery
Selfish tears,
grain
of thought
Question/Answers
1. Q. What is the poem September, first day at School
about?
Ans. It's about the
emotions of a father for his son at the time of his first day at school. The
father feels gloomy when his son cries and then let go his hand. He recalled
the time when he stood here as a child a few years ago and consoles him to bear
the separation from his son.
2. Q. What is allusion in September, first day at
school?
A ns. An allusion is a reference to some historical, social,
political, mythological or literary figure. In September, first day at school,
poet allude his separation from his son to Joseph’s anecdote.
3. Q. Why the poet has used Joseph’s allusion in the
poem?
Ans. He uses the reference of Joseph to
console him, when he was gloomy on parting away from his at his first day at
school.
4. Q. What does poet hopes for his son after leaving
him at school?
Ans. He thinks that traditional education is valuable and will help
his child to endure difficulties in life.
5. Q. Do you agree that teachers should be
father-like figures and do you have any in your school?
Ans. Teachers should be father-like figures.
I’m lucky to have Mr. Shafqat at my school as kind as m father.
About the author
Howard Nemerov was
born in New York City in 1920. He graduated from Harvard College. He was an outstanding student. He taught in
several universities including Bennington college, 1948-66. He joined Washington
University in 1969. Nemerov has published three novels and a critical book,
figures of thought 1978. He won the Pulitzer prize in 1977 and many other awards and honors. he also served as a poetry consultant to the library of congress.
Some of his notable poetry collection is:
- The image and the Law
- Guide to the ruins
- The salt garden
Rhyming
Scheme
There are 4 strophes
in the poem. The poem is divided in an irregular and unrhymed manner called
strophes.
The first strophe
describes how the father takes her child to school on his first day, the child
cries but then let go his father’s hand. The father is also emotional but he
recalls the time when he came to school with his father holding his hand.
The second strophe father
thinks about the learning outcomes and experiences of children at school. He
describes that how the children have to endure whatever goes on in the school.
He tells that about the stuff to be taught at school. It seems unreasonable and
authorities before which everything has to bow down.
The third strophe
poet alludes to the Biblical story of the Prophet Joseph and his dream where he
won over the hatred of his brothers and great kindness come of it in the end.
In the fourth strophe,
the poet thinks of his child again who has entered the classroom. What would be
his son like after few years, he thinks. He wishes to have father-like figures
as teachers at school.
In the last two
lines, the tears of this time are ceremonial, selfish. Poet hopes for the great
kindness that may come at the end-just as in Joseph’s case.
Paraphrasing
stanza 1
My child and I hold hands on the way to school, and when I leave him at the first-grade door. He cries a
little but is brave; he does let it go. My selfish tears remind me how I cried
before that door a life ago. I may have had a hard time letting go.
Explanation stanza 1
the narrator of the poem is father who is
gloomy when he leaves his son at school on his first day. he son cries at first
but leave his hand after a while. His son’s attitude of letting go filled his
eyes with tears but he expressed his tears as selfish. He recalls the time when
he was at that point and letting go was difficult for him. The separation is
necessary to go on. His son cries but then let go.
Paraphrasing
stanza 2
Each fall the children must endure together. What every
child also endures alone to learning the alphabet, the integers,. Three dozen
bits and pieces of stuff are so arbitrary, so peremptory. That worlds invisible
and visible.
Explanation stanza 2
Poet describes that every fall a lot of children come to
school for the first time to endure and grow together. they learn integers, alphabets
and a lot of stuff that is random and authoritative. The random learning and
traditional schooling enable them to see the visible and hidden secrets of worlds. The poet is
talking about the importance of traditional school and purpose of attending the
school.
Paraphrasing
stanza 3
Bow down before it, as in Joseph's dream. The sheaved
bowed down and then the stars bowed down, before the dreaming of a little boy. That
dream got him such hatred of his brothers. It was a cost the greater part of
life to mend, and yet great kindness came of it in the end.
Explanation
stanza 3
The poet consoles
his separation from his son by giving the reference of anecdote of Joseph. He
describes that parting and difficulties in life is necessary to win over the
hatred. His son will too learn and mend his life when he is apart from him.
Joseph’s brothers gave him hatred, his father tolerated his parting but it all mends
his personality that sheaves and stars bowed against him.
Paraphrasing Stanza 4
A school is where they grind the grain of thought, and grind
the children who must mind the thought.
It may be those two grindings are but one as from the alphabet come
Shakespeare's Plays. As from the integers comes Euler's Law. As from the whole,
inseparably, the lives,
Explanation Stanza 4
The poet describes that the traditional
schooling develops the basics of thinking and mould the minds of children. The children
start from basic that from alphabets and reach the level of Shakespeare plays. They
start learning integers and jumps up to learn the physical laws like Euler’s law.
Education as a whole is a must part of life to make us a learned person.
Paraphrasing Stanza 5
The shrunken lives that have not
been set free by law or by poetic phantasy (the power of creating unrealistic
images) they may be. My child has disappeared behind the schoolroom door. And
should I live to see his coming forth, a life away. I know my hope, but do not
know its form.
Explanation stanza 5
The stanza describes the hope and
dreams of a father for his son when his son is out of sight. He has an idea of a good life ahead for his son but he is not clear about the shape of his hope. What would be his son like when he is free from this school phantasy.
Explanation stanza 6
At last when his son is inside school, poet hopes and wishes for the teachers to treat him just like a father. They adore him care for him more than a father in fact. He thinks that the tears are just custom our tears lack spirit. All parents symbolically surrender their child to society.
