Narrative Intervention in "My Father's Axe"

Point of intervention: After the father’s funeral, the mother takes some time to talk with her husband at his grave.

“I loved you, my dear,” she spoke in hiccups. Damp cheeks and puffy eyes, the wife grieved over her husband’s grave.

“Tim loved you too, you know? He idolised you… I wish I had talked to you sooner; it’s a bit late now. You always seemed so disappointed in our son… especially after he sent us to the Home. Did you realise how brave he was in doing that? To admit that he wasn’t capable of taking care of us anymore: he was possibly a braver man than you.

“Unlike Tim, you were never able to admit to such weaknesses. That was one of your greatest faults. You had a silent pride in yourself. And in your axe-wielding. When Tim sent us away, you were angry – so very angry – that he couldn’t live up to your expectations of a man looking after his family. You expected him to continue cutting our wood and caring for us. How could you have put so much pressure on him?

“Sometimes I wonder how Tim would have grown up if we had treated him differently. Perhaps if you lifted the pressure placed on him, we could have encouraged him to be his own self. Grow up his own way and make his own choices. Who knows? He could have been a great runner… or pianist… or artist. We never gave him those opportunities.”

The mother was in tears, choking on her words. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for being a father to Tim… Despite what I said, you were still present in his life… For that, I am grateful. Oh darling, I will always love you.”

Understanding Paul

“Describe Paul as you see him, using language as effectively as you can.”

Keller’s POV (page 5/6)

The boy’s hands were of the norm: fingers weak, vulnerable to a fault. Paul’s father insisted the boy played well. Ha, surely! I knew those hands. To think such hands were once my own; however, mine were later trained and polished of their faults. Paul was merely a newborn, waiting to be groomed, tweaked, and refined to perfection. Much – almost, overwhelming – potential rested in those young, innocent hands. Fingers of a pianist? Perhaps.

Paul himself appeared somewhat… nervous, anxious, I supposed. He had the right to feel so. What else was expected of a boy who had moved to a new city of unfamiliar faces? Nonetheless, that didn’t alter my expectations of Paul as a pianist. He was in my home for piano lessons and lessons he would receive.

His gaze was on my absent little finger. Amusing to think he must wonder how one can possibly play piano pieces when missing a finger. “Fifth fingers are unnecessary,” I pronounced.

Class Work Monday Week 2 - Imaginative Response

Look at the advertisement picture again and plan an imaginative response which involves the girl as a character and which challenges the representation of growing up constructed in the advertisement. Your choice of genre and your choice of point of view. You could write as the girl or as one of her friends or as her parent.  You could narrate an event, write a letter, write a journal entry or a news report.

Henry,

In regards of the matter of our daughter’s appeal for attending “schoolies” in the next month, you need to gain some trust in her. I understand it may be difficult for you to embrace her growth and independence through your awfully infrequent visits. Perhaps you could consider spending a week in our guest room to spend some well-need quality time with Elise. Our divorce is of the past; it’s our daughter who needs you in her life.

I guarantee Elise has indeed matured into a responsible young lady. You need to treat her as such. It was wrong of you to forbid her from attending her formal after-party. How could you ruin an enjoyable night for our girl? She has produced wonderful results throughout the year and is looking to pursue law and communications next year. Were you even aware of that? God, Henry, when will you step up and be a father?

Nonetheless, I’m rambling off topic. That’s a discussion for another day. What I’m trying to get across to you is this: Elise is capable of making smart decisions in terms of parties and such. I can especially assure you of this; I did in fact supervise her seventeenth birthday party. You should definitely spend some time with her sometime soon. Maybe you will be convinced of her sensible demeanour. Hopefully this would sway your decision towards her attendance of “schoolies”.

Please take this email into consideration.

Kind regards,

Rebecca.