my father would not show us analysis

my father’s face

five days dead

is organised for me to see

abrupt, truncated lines

sudden death

short stanzas?

reflect speakers quiet emotions

it’s cold in here

symbolism

lacklustre relationship

unfrozen collar of his striped pyjamas

vivid imagery, sensory language

to remember a childhood, as it might have been

a louder braver place

regret

comparatives

my father would not show us how to die

hid condition from children

stereotypes for men at the time

everything he hears is white

noise, empty, imagery

he hid, he hid away

…

he turned, he turned away

emphatic repetition

emphasises distant relationship

context

South African

lived in apartheid

men didn’t share emotions in this time

parent child relationship