Analysis of “Ave Maria”

Bethany Thompson Professor Breese English 266 3 February 2009 Analysis of Ave Maria Frank OHaras poem, Ave Maria, encourages overprotective mothers to let their children reckon life. The poem begins with the command, Mothers of America / let your kids go to the movies He proposes a series of rationales for pursual this advice, including the conditional love of children who wint hate you if they atomic number 18 permitted to do what they want.The aline reason behind this directive, however, is made slip by in lines 13 16 they whitethorn even be grateful to you / for their offshoot sexual populate / which only bell you a quarter / and didnt unbalance the peaceful substructure. The idea that a kindle could provide a childs set-back sexual experience may be shocking to parents, but OHaras poem implies that by everyo move ong them this experience, you return readied them for adulthood. Also, the image of sexuality being priced kindred popcorn, a quarter, is amusing its the pleasures of adulthood at quite a bargain.OHara initi aloney contrasts the peaceful home a room, a yard, mothers, and little tykes with the movie theatre, impress by silvery images. He whence contrasts the parents overprotective instruction with that of a gratifying peculiar who offers the equivalent they entrust realize where candy bars come from and gratuitous bags of popcorn as gratuitous as leaving the movie before its over with a pleasant stranger whose apartment is in the Heaven on Earth Bldg near the Williamsburg BridgeThese children will learn about adulthood through gaining sexual knowledge. OHara paints a win / win situation. If nobody picks them up in the movies/ they wont know the engagement / and if somebody does itll be sheer gravy. He educes that if they dont train their first sexual experience, they will at least(prenominal) have seen a movie, instead of staying in their room hating you. OHara concludes his poetic condemnation with a warning. H e cautions mothers non to deuced him if they dont take his advice and their families croak apart.The connection between keeping kids home from the movies and families falling apart may look far-fetched, but the movies are symbolizing all the things a child is forbidden to do. alike much restriction will knife thrust them away. The final image is that of children enkindleing centenarian and blind in front of a TV set watching the films they werent allowed to see when they were small. This gives the impression that no press how much a mother tries to trade protection her children, they will eventually do all the things that were forbidden them.There are several things that take in attention to the mothers, the first being the denomination of the poem. Perhaps it is an ironic statement on the imperfection of mothers in comparison to the Blessed Mother. There are two lines that suggest the mothers might have ulterior motives for direct their children to the movies. Lines 3 and 4 suggest mothers get them out of the house so they wont know what / youre up to, which implies the mothers also have something to hide.These motives are not the main focus of the poem and are undisclosed by the author. We are left wing to guess what the mothers are really up to. In short, OHara recommends that parents let their children experience life on their own terms. Parents are told that preventing their children from making their own choices will shit resentment and leave the children fantasizing about the experiences they wish well they had. A wise parent allows their children to grow into experienced adults by letting them to go out and explore, not coddling by them.