Fear by Gabriela Mistral

Fear by Gabriela Mistral is a poem about a mother who is anxious about her daughter's future. It is a poem included in the Sri Lankan Ordinary Level Literature syllabus.

1. Fear
By Gabriela Mistral
Prepared by ChathuriAlwis(Sri Lanka 0717004939)
BA-English (University of Ja’pura)

2. About the poetess
GaberielaMistral is her pseudonym.
Her real name is LucilaGodoy Alcayoga.Sheis
a Chilean poet.

3. Stanza 1
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
where I could not comb her hair.
I don’t want them to turn
my little girl into a swallow.
migratory bird
seeking warmer
climates
She is worried that her daughter
would abandon her

4. nest in the eaves
Mother is worried that in the
future she would not be able to
be close to her daughter. She
fears that her daughter will be
out of her reach.

5. The mother speaks of a simple , homely action
‘comb her hair’. It manifests that the mother
cherishes these moments.

6. Who are ‘them’?
The people(teachers,
peers, media, pressure
groups) of the society.
Children are influenced
by them.

7. Stanza 2
I don’t want them to make
my little girl a princess.
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
my little girl a princess. A princess would have luxury and
comfort.

8. She wants her daughter to enjoy freedom. The ‘meadow’
is used as a metaphor to show daughter can spend her
life happily enjoying simple pleasures.

9. Stanza 3
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.
And when nighttime came
I could never rock her …
I don’t want them to make
my little girl a queen!
A queen can have a lot of
power and wealth

10. rock her
She wants the daughter to be
close to her. She considers
the relationship between a
mother and daughter as
‘sacred’.

11. The poem concerns with a mother’s selfless
love towards her daughter. She fears about
her daughter’s future. Mother’s anxiety is
portrayed.
The poet suggests the human relationships
are more valuable than any material success.
Theme:

12. Techniques:
•Use of symbols/ metaphors
‘The swallow’ represents a person who seeks
better prospects and leaves her homeland
looking for ‘green pastures’
‘Princess’, ‘golden slippers’, ‘queen’, ‘throne’
represent wealth and luxury and power.

13. •Use of metonyms
The images ‘princess’ and ‘queen’ are
metonymic, suggesting wealth and
status of the highest kind.

14. •Simple language and simple imagery
The language used by the poetess is
simple and she uses simple familiar
imagery such as ‘swallow’, ‘princess’
and ‘queen’.

15. •Use of two types of imagery.
Simple homely actionsSuggestionsof the
daughter being distant,
attaining wealth & status
Comb her hair
Playon the meadow
Sleep at my side
Rock her
Fly away into the sky
Rest in the eaves
In tiny golden slippers
Put her ona throne

16. •Repetition
“I don’t want them to turn my little girl
into a queen”. Repetition helps to
emphasize the idea of how strong the
mother objects material success over
human values.