ALTER-EGO POETRY PROJECT
Alter-Ego Poet: Li Young Lee
A. Poet Profile
Li-Young
Lee was born in
B. Stylistic Analysis
of “the Gift”
The Gift
By Li-Young Lee
To pull the metal splinter from my palm
my father recited a story in a low voice.
I watched his lovely face and not the blade.
Before the story ended, he'd removed
the iron sliver I thought I'd die from.
I can't remember the tale,
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
And I recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face,
the flames of discipline
he raised above my head.
Had you entered that afternoon
you would have thought you saw a man
planting something in a boy's palm,
a silver tear, a tiny flame.
Had you followed that boy
you would have arrived here,
where I bend over my wife's right hand.
Look how I shave her thumbnail down
so carefully she feels no pain.
Watch as I lift the splinter out.
I was seven when my father
took my hand like this,
and I did not hold that shard
between my fingers and think,
Metal that will bury me,
christen it Little Assassin,
And I did not lift up my wound and cry,
Death visited here!
I did what a child does
when he's given something to keep.
I kissed my father.
“The Gift” a poem written by Li-Young Lee is about the power of a father’s love. In this 4 stanzas poem a man remembers how his father pulled a splinter from his hand when he was young. The tone is comfort. In the second stanza, the speaker says, “two measures of tenderness / he laid against my face”. In this stanza the writer uses end stops to create a group of lines that’s shows the tenderness of the father and how the father takes care of his son (the speaker) and guides him through his discipline. In the last stanza, the speaker realizes, “Metal that will bury me, Christen it little Assassin, ore Going Deep for my Heart”. These three lines use end stops also, but the real significance of this line is to show that the metal splinter that he thought he would die from became “the Gift” for him, because the metal splinter became valuable to his family, starting with him and later saving his wife. In the last line of the last stanza, the speaker says “I kissed my father”. This lines, shows he is thankful to his father for saving his life and for teaching him good discipline in the world, he “kissed” his father. The “kissed” symbolizes his love and also something he gave to his father as a something to keep. The greatest gift of all is the kiss & that’s the theme of the whole poem by Li Young Lee.
C. Influence Poem
Original:
The Gift
To pull the metal splinter from my palm
my father recited a story in a low voice.
I watched his lovely face and not the blade.
Before the story ended, he'd removed
the iron sliver I thought I'd die from.
I can't remember the tale,
but hear his voice still, a well
of dark water, a prayer.
And I recall his hands,
two measures of tenderness
he laid against my face,
the flames of discipline
he raised above my head.
Had you entered that afternoon
you would have thought you saw a man
planting something in a boy's palm,
a silver tear, a tiny flame.
Had you followed that boy
you would have arrived here,
where I bend over my wife's right hand.
Look how I shave her thumbnail down
so carefully she feels no pain.
Watch as I lift the splinter out.
I was seven when my father
took my hand like this,
and I did not hold that shard
between my fingers and think,
Metal that will bury me,
christen it Little Assassin,
And I did not lift up my wound and cry,
Death visited here!
I did what a child does
when he's given something to keep.
I kissed my father.
Influence Poem:
Hopes
By: Rosemarie Icaro
I kissed my father
--Li-Young Lee
One moment with my father,
Recited above my head.
That day, I was with him,
Sitting down on the sand,
I have his warm arm on my shoulder,
I feel tenderness while we were
Watching the sun setting down.
In front of the sunset, my father said,
“Tomorrow is a new day, new hope
To reach up for your goals and remember
Not to forget where you were from”.
I watched his lovely face and thought about,
“What if I don’t have him by my side anymore?”
“Who will keep my hopes up?”
“Would it be the last time with him?”
Suddenly, I felt sad without knowing,
He was looking at me.
Later on, I had to leave,
Go farther away from him.
I felt my tears flows down my cheeks.
While I am walking away from him,
He smiled at me, but I knew
Behind those smiles,
Were the tears and sadness.
To make him feel better,
I smiled back at him.
I flashed back to the moment,
We had together.
I heard him, he said,
“Reach up for your biggest goal”
I heard it three times, and I ran back to him.
I kissed my father.
The next day, I missed him,
I hear his voice every single day.
Hopes he gave me,
Will be my treasure
Forever.
I miss my father.