Reflection on Childhood

In the poems, “Bored”, “Fern Hill”, “The Video”, and “My Papa’s Waltz,” all the writers present the same theme of childhood. Each poem is a reflection on one’s childhood and a memory of some sort that they have from their younger years. In every poem except for “Fern Hill,” this is a strong reliance on family and the importance of family when a child is born. “Fern Hill” is more of a reflection on a man’s past times with nature.
In “Bored,” the speaker is saying how everything he did with his father in his childhood was boring; he was always sitting, helping, or just looking. The speaker says, “Pounded stakes into the ground for rows and rows of lettuces and beets, which I then (bored) weeded. This clearly shows that the speaker being a young boy was no very amused with helping his father. Although, at the end of the poem he is reflecting back on those days and he realizes that everything he knows now was from his father.
In “Fern Hill” the speaker is reflecting on his childhood and the aspects of nature which he misses so dearly. He says, “In the sun that is young once only, time let me play and be golden in the mercy of his means,” this shows how he never realized how fast time went by until it’s eventually caught up to him. Throughout his childhood time never seemed to fly by but now that he is an adult looking back on his younger day he realizes something he took for granted.
“The Video” is about a family who video taped the birth of their second child. The mom, dad, and younger sister, Ceri, are so excited about Laura’s birth and when it is over they put the video tape away. The poem goes on to say that once the “Mum” had gone back to being thin, Ceri pulled out the video tape and began to watch Laura’s birth over and over again. The ending of this poem is very strange though because it symbolizes Ceri’s jealousy. It says in line 11, “She watched Laura come out, and then, in reverse, she made her go back in,” this shows that she is jealous that there is a new baby in the family. Ceri uses the video to revisit this early childhood memory which she has mixed feelings about.
“My Papa’s Waltz” is about a little girl in her early childhood who is doing the waltz with her father; she is dancing on his feet and it symbolizes a memorable childhood moment, but also the importance of family. Her father is being that special man in her life who can whisk her off her feet and then after all the laughter he calmly puts her off to bed, “Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt.” Family plays an important role in this poem; most importantly though it is the role of her family in her early childhood which is giving her these great memories.
Altogether, all four poems present the same theme of childhood and the reflection on important childhood memories. “Bored”, “My Papa’s Waltz”, and “The Video” are all very family related with the stories that they offer, while “ Fern Hill” presents the certain memories you recall with your senses; the speaker presents many memories that involve nature which was his favorite past time.