poem interpretation?

Question

what are the meanings of these poems

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-gift/

and

http://www.angelfire.com/mi/patter/fifteen.html

Answer 1

Lee is talking about the gift the speaker received as a boy

Willy is talking about an accident he witnessed when he was fifteen.
Bot poems are concerned with what the respective speaker felt and how they reacted to inexplicable circumstances.

In Lee "I was seven when my father
took my hand like this"

In William, "as it lay on its side, ticking over
slowly in the high grass. I was fifteen."

In Lee, I "did what a child does
when he's given something to keep.
I kissed my father" -that was the gift.
In William, once the speaker had helped the cyclist locate his bike, " I helped him walk to his machine. He ran his hand
over it, called me good man, roared away."

Both poems are concerned with memory and remembrance of unforgettable scenes. Whereas Lee recalls his Dad's story, William's is an eye-witness account. Both poems are focused on particular mnemonic items, the gift in Lee and the motorcycle in William. Ideally, they are both concerned with memorable scenes when they were in their teens. One title for both could easily be: What I remember most and why I recall it vividly today."



good luck