Literal Meaning
Why is the little boy crying at the start of the poem?
His father hit him / punished him.
Identify the device: “You must not make a plaything of the rain.”
Metaphor.
How does the boy feel toward his father after being hit?
Angry / hurt / betrayed.
What sensory image is created with “The spank / That made you roar”?
Sound imagery.
What is one major theme of the poem?
Love and discipline / parent-child conflict.
What does the boy compare his father to in his imagination?
A giant/ ogre
Identify the device: “You imagine the blow / Was the thunderbolt that would rebound.”
Metaphor
How does the father feel about punishing the boy?
He is sad or regretful.
What mood is created by the rain imagery in stanza 2?
Sadness / gloom / emotional heaviness.
What does the poem suggest about punishment?
It is emotionally painful for both parent and child.
What natural setting is described in the second stanza?
A forested area
Identify the device: “Giant,” as used to describe the father.
Hyperbole
Why does the poem show both the father’s and the boy’s perspectives?
To show misunderstanding and emotional conflict.
Why is the boy described as “a frog”?
To show him wet, small, and trying to play / childish helplessness.
Why is the father’s smile described as “contrite”?
It shows he feels remorse or guilt.
Why does the father walk away “to hide his tears”?
He feels guilty/sad about punishing the child.
Identify the device: “The sky shrank at your inflatable grief.”
Personification.
What emotion does the father hide by turning away?
His own sadness / emotional pain.
What technique is used when the father imagines “tidal wave of tears”?
Hyperbole
Explain how misunderstanding drives the poem.
The boy thinks his father is cruel, but the father is acting out of love.
What does the father wish he could do instead of punishing the boy?
Comfort him / hug him / turn punishment into play.
Explain the effect of the metaphor “inflatable grief.”
It shows the child’s sadness growing exaggeratedly or dramatically.
What does the contrast between the boy’s anger and the father’s regret reveal?
The complexity of parent-child relationships; discipline is painful for both.
Explain how imagery helps show the child’s perspective of the father.
It exaggerates the father as huge and terrifying, showing the boy’s fear and anger.
What message does the poet send about parenting through the final stanza?
Parents sometimes must discipline even when it hurts them; love can be misunderstood.