The red hat by Rachel Hadas
Vocabulary
Briskly – (adj) in a brisk manner; “she walked briskly in the cold air”; “`after lunch,’ she said briskly”
Dawdle-(Noun) to be slow or lag behind
Vastly – (adj) to an exceedingly great extent or degree; “He had vastly overestimated his resources”; “was immensely more important to the project as a scientist than as an administrator”
Annotations
The general meaning of this poem is a child traveling to school on his own and being watched by his parents. The title refers to protection from fears and anxieties. It also refers to action and confidence to go after your dreams. However, there is a deeper feeling and picture in this poem. The child going to school alone represents independence also the parents watching their son growing up and being an independent person.
The language of the poem denotes the originality of the speaker as well as the education level. The way the speaker express her words symbolizes how strong her feelings are towards this poem. The poem is conversational because the speaker brought forth feelings and emotions while she speaks as if she was a parent speaking to another. As you read the poem, it reveals that the speaker is a concerned mother. The poem is a positive celebratory in which the mood of the poem gives a feeling of celebration of the child breaching the barrier into young adulthood.
The Red Hat by Rachel Hadas
Explication
“The red hat” is a poem about a parent in this case a mother watching her child grow up (line 4) “I or his father tracks on the way”. The mother values her child youthfulness and is full aware that the child is growing up. The poem was meant for the public audience especially mothers. The speaker intentions to the audience and fellow mothers are to let them know to cherish the moments they have with their child while they are still young. Line 9 “Straus Park is where these parallel paths part” suggests that this is a circumstance where the physical bond between parent and child ends.
This is the child passing through childhood to pre-adulthood. The poem is set before Christmas on the street (Evidently on the way to the child school). By reading the poem over and over again, I was able to understand the different point of view of the message that the poet is trying to send across to the readers. Not just to mothers but also to parents. The title of the poem for example, “The red hat” emphasizes the color red as bright and hot.
In other words, the title suggests the warmth of the parents love towards the child. It could also mean maturity. The theme of this poem is about a boy leaving the protection of his parents to strive in the world for himself. Therefore, it is not just about a child walking to school alone. The narrator used tools such as symbolism to symbolize the events to taking fold. “Officially walks to school alone” line 2 suggests that there is no presence of the parents while the child is walking to school. The sentence “Parallel paths part, he goes alone from here” by just looking at it seems of though the parents can’t follow their child to school any further. However, deeper analyst of this sentence also projects the parents’ hold and protection bond is no longer definite.
Now the child walks his own path to adulthood and parents walk their own which severe the bond of always watching over him. This is more of the youthfulness finally reach the step of making independent decisions. Every concerned parent at one point had to watch their child grow up.
This may have started with the child/children finishing school and finally moving out to get their own place or it even could have started as soon as the child can make his/her independent decision. The visible and vivid description of imagery in this poem prolongs the case of the loving and protective parents sustain to the act of nature by letting go of their child to the world.
Throughout the poem the poet gives the reader the feeling that the parents still worry about the child. There are numerous examples to back up this point, one is when the parents follow the son without him knowing to the point where they can’t go any further; line 3 “semi-alone, it’s accurate to say: I or his father track him on the way”.
The poet use the word “dawdle” to describe the parents tracking their son slowly as they glances at him without any eye contact to give the son a feeling of independence. The “Straus Park is where these parallel paths part” is an allusion created by the poet. It represents the physical street where the parent and child separate. However, it also represents the bond between the parents and child in which it gives an image of the child and the parent going their separate ways. The poet dictate the poem in a manner of a loving, protective mother watching her child grow up and also a narrator trying to send a message to the public about maturity.
To conclude, I have to say this poem is very emotional. To watch your child grow up is a very happy but yet a sad and unwanted seen. The poet, a mother herself, express her feelings and the events where her son independence started. His first walk to school by himself was just the beginning. It was a huge step that the poet had to accept. Furthermore, parents should keep their children close because one day they will be on their own, them against the world.
Works cited
“Analysis of the Poem The Red Hat by Rachel Hadas.” Yahoo! Contributor Network. Jenessa Casey. Web. 9 May 2012. <http://voices.yahoo.com/analysis-poem-red-hat-rachel-hadas-5270225.html?cat=25>.
Arp, Thomas A., and Greg Johnson. “Perrine’s Sound and Sense : An Introduction to Poetry.”ECampus.com. Web. 8 May 2012. <http://www.ecampus.com/perrines-sound-sense-introduction-poetry/bk/9780155030282>.
Meyer, Michael. POETRY an Introduction Six Edition. Boston: BEDFORD /ST MARTIN. Print.
New Critical Explication of “The Red Hat” Web. 9 May 2012. <http://www1.assumption.edu/users/ady/hhgateway/ExpInt/Redhatexp.html>.
