The Red Hat

Chandradat Gir

Prof: J Rosen

ENG2003 Sect: 1248

05/20/2012

“The Red Hat” by Rachel Hadas

Vocabulary

Officially:

             A person appointed or elected to an office, or charged with certain duties or pertaining to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority: official powers.

Definition: in an official manner.

Synonyms: according to protocol, befittingly, ceremoniously, conveniently,  correctly, customarily, fittingly, formally, orderly, precisely, properly, regularly, suitably.

 

Elastic:

Capable of returning to its original length, shape, etc. after being stretched, deformed, compressed, or expanded; elastic fiber.

 

Red:

Symbolizes impulsiveness, excitement, energetic.

Red is the first color you lose sight of at twilight.

 

 

Annotation 1.

“It started before Christmas.” This is an allusion referring to the month of December.  As Christmas is the birth of Christ according to the Christian faith and the month is December. This also alludes to the new school year which begins in fall. So this gives us a timing of the event and says it had started for a while now.

Annotation 2.

“Already ties are feelings and not fact.” (Ln.8), this is a direct statement of the mother’s feeling on seeing her son gradually walking away from her in his quest to be an independent young man. By saying “Already,” it is as though she is caught off guard as to how fast the time has approached for this event to take place, like it’s too fast, too sudden for her comfort.  Ties mean a physical connection between two objects.  To say it is not fact anymore is to say it does not exist anymore.  What the mother is saying is that the connection between her and her son is no more that physical closeness.  Now it is just emotional, it is just feelings, as he is moving away from her physically, becoming more of an independent young man.

 

Explication

A Reading of Rachel Hadas

“The Red Hat”

 

The poem “The Red Hat” by Rachel Hadas speaks of the feeling of a mother on seeing her son gradually becoming independent of her, a bitter sweet feeling. The feeling of happiness and satisfaction of seeing her son developing into a resilient young man but at the same time it’s mixed with the feeling of lost, of gradually losing him to the outer world. The mother experienced a bitter sweet feeling or emotion as she struggles to let her son go. So this poem is not just about a small boy walking to school alone.

The poet starts by saying, “It started before Christmas.” Christmas is in the month of December which is in the fall season. So this tells us the time period of the year is fall that the poet is speaking of. So it is the fall term of school which is the first term in a school year. So this is the start of boy’s education. The poet continues by saying,” Now our son officially walks to school.” By saying our son, the poet is using the mother as the narrator in the poem. This is to build a more personal tone in the poem and makes it possible that actually every mother can relate to this event. The word officially means to be appointed or elected to an office, or charged with certain duty, or trust, or authority in an official manner, by official powers. But here the boy is being given the duty and trust to walk to school alone, as more of a family matter and is not of an official nature. But for the mother to give the event the similarity of duty or trust or authority of an official nature is to emphasize the symbolic or important step this is in the boy’s life, in his quest to becoming an independent young man. The use of the word “officially” here is used metaphorically to relate the two different events and as such shows how important this event is in the mind of the mother. This shows how satisfied and happy she is at her son making this accomplishment in his life. This brings out the happy or sweet feeling of the mother of satisfaction.

The lines “Semi-alone, it’s accurate to say: / I or his father tract him on the way”  speaks clearly of the of the guidance, protection, watchful eyes of the parents , of being right nearby to pick him up if he falls, to give him that sense of security in his initial steps into the outer world.  This is to enable him to learn freely without any burden on his mind, to throw caution to the wind, learning from his trials and errors until he is a grown young man.  By saying “Glances can extend (and do) across the street: not eye contact”  means they can take their quick glances to see each other is there to give that sense of security but not to draw each other attention. This is to allow the boy to think freely and learn the simple things in life to be mentally prepared to confidently and intelligently make decision on his own. However, being there initially in his growing up stage in life is to provide that very much needed love and guidance, and protection to nurture him into a capable young man. But this action by the mother shows how concerned and afraid she is of her son walking to school alone. That’s why she is always there on the first leg of the journey to school, if not, the father is there. This brings out the anxiety of the mother, that bitter feeling she is having of letting her son go.

The poet uses a sequential AA BB rhyme scheme which brings out the anxiety of the mother, the use of words like part and heart; fear and disappear; brings out the different emotions flowing through her mind at the moment.  Also using the phrase,” parallel paths part,” is emphasizing the “p” sound, a harsh sound. This shows the bitter feeling the mother is experiencing in letting her son go, how hard it is on her. Hadas use enjambment lines to create the anxious feelings the parents are experiencing, a rushed nervous feeling. Fear of their son having to face the world alone. This is the lines normally ends with half of a sentence remaining, so it captures the anxious feeling of the reader, in so doing, Hadas is having the reader experience the anxiety of the mother.  This also brings out the bitter feeling of the mother (NsyncFan14.(nd)).

The color red symbolizes impulsiveness, excitement, and energetic, also joy and life. These are mostly the characteristic you will find in a small boy. Hadas speaks of the boy striding briskly whereas before he used to dawdle dreamy and slow holding his mother hands. This shows a great transformation in the boy’s characteristic and also symbolizes the boy growing away from his mother.  It also happens that red is the first color you lose sight of at twilight. I find it ironic that the poem has the name “The Red Hat” and the boy is wearing a red hat that is what the mother see disappear. But looking back at the mixed emotions the mother is having in letting her son go speaks of the satisfaction, the happy sweet feeling of a mother on seeing her son grows into an independent young man who she can be proud of, but at the same time it also shows the feelings of fear and anxiety the mother is experiencing. The shows the mixed emotions of the mother, the feeling of bitter sweet

 

Bibliography

Casey, Jenessa. http://voices.yahoo.com/analysis-poem-red-hat-rachel-hadas-5270225.html?cat=25. 15 01 2010. Analysis of the Poem The Red Hat by Rachel Hadas. 05 05 2012.

Cusack, Eileen M. http://www1.assumption.edu/users/ady/hhgateway/ExpInt/Redhatexp.html. 2000. 05 05 2012.

Encyclopedia Britinnica Company. http://www.merrian-webster.com/dictionary. 2012. 05 05 2012.

NsyncFan14.(nd). http://aplit-comp.blogspot.com/2010/01/red-hat-analysis.html. 19 01 2010. The Red Hat Analysis. 05 05 2012.

Thomas R, Arp, Johnson, Greg. http://www.ecampus.com/perrines-sound-sense-introduction-poetry/bk/9780155030282. 2002. Perrine’s Sound and Sense “An Introduction To Poetry”. 05 05 2012.

 

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