Fear - Gabriela Mistral

 

Fear      -   Gabriela Mistral

I don’t want them to turn

my little girl into a swallow.

She would fly far away into the sky

And never fly again to my straw bed

or she would nest in the eaves               5   

Where I could not comb her hair.

I don’t want them to turn

my little girl into a swallow.

 

I don’t want them to make

my little girl a princess.                      10

In tiny golden slippers

how could she play on the meadow?

And when night came, no longer

would she sleep at my side.

I don’t want them to make                      15

my little girl a princess.

 And even less do I want them

one day to make her queen.

They would put her on a throne

where I could not go to see her.                20

And when nighttime came

I could never rock her …

I don’t want them to make

my little girl a queen!

 

Gabriela Mistral

Lucila Godoy Alcayaga known as Gabriela Mistral. She was a Chilean poet – diplomat, educator and humanist. She was the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in literature. Her works made her name powerful symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world. Her central themes are nature, betrayal, love, a mother’s love, recovery, travelling, deep sorrow and emotional out bursts. She published some early poems such as “Ensonaciones”(Dreams), Carta intima (“intimate letter), and Junto al  mar (By the sea). Death of her first love, betrayal of second love broke her and this emotions were reflected in her early poetry. Her personal sorrow and emotions were present in her poems. As a teacher she had a great affection for children. Her religion Catholicism had a great influence on her.  Mistral had diabetes and heart problems. She died of pancreatic cancer in New York on 10^th January 1957.

Summary of the poem

The poem “Fear” is an inner conflict between a mother and her fear of her growing child. She is showing too much concern on her child. The mother is worried about her child that she would become like a swallow and fly off to her own world. The whole poem is about a mother’s emotional fear over her daughter. She is worried that her daughter may not comeback one she moves out. She does not want the society to change her daughter in to something. Her worries are regarding the daughter’s adult period her marriage and her life with the world.

Detail Analysis

Stanza 1

“I don’t want them to turn

My little girl into a swallow”

 The first stanza expresses the anxiety of a mother who does not want anyone to change her little daughter into a swallow. The swallow refers to a bird which leaves its home (nest). The mother thinks
her daughter would one day leave her and never come back to her straw bed. The straw bed tells the poor condition of the family. The mother is rich with love and affection for her daughter. “Them” the mother refers to those who would change the daughter. It could be the society or situation which could make her independent.

Stanza 2

“I don’t want them to make

My little girl a princess.”

 

This stanza continues to express the fear and anxiety of a mother. The mother here says she does not want to change her daughter into a princess. Princess will have a different life style with all the richness, there is another reference to “Princess”. It is her teen years, she could be independent. “The golden”
slippers refers to the changes that she may face when she became teen. Mother wants her daughter to be simple. She wants her daughter to have fun and play. Also she likes her daughter sleep next to her with affection.

 Stanza 3

“and even less do I want them

One day to make her queen”

 

In his stanza the princess has become a queen. This is the imagination of the mother, the daughter would become an adult one day. She is worried about that day. It can be taken as if she is married and living her own life. She does not need anyone, she is independent. She would go away to another place
to live her life with her own family. She will the mother then and tied up with various duties. She may not get time to think of her mother. She may not get time to visit her mother she will not be dependent on her thereafter.

Literary Devices

The primary poetical device used in this poem is Metaphor which has been repeated such as “doesn’t want “them”.

The mother brings three different images, such as swallow, queen and princess in each stanza. She interprets that the society would change her small daughter who is innocent into an independent girl like a free swallow who leaves its nest to live its own life.

The metaphors change the mother’s fear into a luxury language. “if she wears golden slippers, how can she play in the meadow?

Mother’s fear is that if her daughter becomes too good and matured then the mother would lose the emotional bondage with her daughter.

Princess symbolizes to her glamourous teen age.

Golden slippers symbolizes her wealthy life style in future.

Meadow refers to her free life in her simple life rural life style.

Themes

The speaker lives in a rural settings “Straw bed” shows the atmosphere of the mother and daughter. She hints about birds and mentions about swallow to compares her daughter’s changes.  Perhaps it might affect her.

“tiny golden slippers” symbolizes the transformation of the small girl into a matured person, independent person, who would be influenced by the society. She no longer could play in the meadow enjoying the nature. She will be busy with the materialistic world chasing her wants and needs. She would not have time for her loved ones.

Another import – message is transformation and changes. They are inevitable and it is natural process of every human.  Also it is natural feel fear for their children, as the changes might cause the children to go away from their parents forever. All the changes and transformation occur due to the influences of the society. Though the changes are natural but the parents/the mother is worried about the influences of the changes in her daughter.

Private and public Society

The mother and her daughter is a small private society. They shares their happiness. The mother enjoys every moment with her daughter, rocking her child, combing hair, sleeping with her. All these creates a strong bondage with her mother. But the public which is otherwise known as society would soon influence the daughter. She would learn the ways of the life from the society. The society will pave the
way for the daughter to grow up. The society will teach her to be swallow to leave the nest and fly off in search of her dreams. The public will show how to be a queen and princess, and to be independent. These teachings would attract and influence the daughter and she would change and she will be ready to select her path.

 The central idea of the poem is a mother’s anxiety about losing her daughter. This may sound selfish but a mother’s worries are reasonable and natural and shows her concern over her daughter.

“Straw bed” creates an image of bird nest and the poverty of the family. The mother could not provide a rich life for her daughter.

A beautiful poem portrays the feelings and natural fear and anxiety of a mother. Gabriela Mistral brings out the natural life style of both private and public. Private stands for the mother and daughter in a small nest. Public is for the whole society which influences us. The poet expresses the fear of the mother in its
natural form. Her anxiety, love, concern and protection for daughter, are all true, honest and emotional.

 Thank you 

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