... the difficulties he's having or how he's older "when he saw better". The relationship with his daughter has always been strained, a fact both father and daughter regret. The contrast between past and present tells us that old age is treated as a negative part of life. The poem has an irregular line length and enjambment reflects the shambles and disorder of the old mans mind. The poem uses colloquial language and does not have imagery, just a series of memories. The italics are the father speaking, it shows how the father is ageing as he now finds things hard to do "I've lost the hammer". Fanthorpes message is that old age is a negative part of, as the poem is very pessimistic. The daughter is sad about what old age has done to her father, she wants him back as a lively and independent man. She is angry at ageing ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now