Patriarchs of Path and Lowell

Robert Lowell in his poem “Commander Lowell” praises and ridicules his father at the same time. “Commander Lowell” is a poem about Lowell’s father and the life he lived from an engineer in the Navy to a citizen that moved from job to job. Lowell’s father is described as a former Navy officer who’s “training was engineering”. (Line 31) Therefore, he was more informed on the academic aspects of ships rather than sailing them, and

Sylvia Plath and Robert Lowell express their ambivalent feelings toward their father in separate ways for each. While Plath focuses on her love and hate relationship with her father, Lowell emphasizes his feelings of disrespect and respect for his father. Each of the poets used their respective and distinct artistic talents to depict their feelings and thoughts. Furthermore, their poetry acts as a window to their emotions and their soul.

Though Lowell ridicules his father “Commander Lowell” throughout the poem, Lowell’s last lines take a serious and almost proud tone as he describes his father, the respectable man who “was once successful enough to be lost/ in the mob of ruling-class Bostonians.” (Lines 61-62) This shift in tone and attitude is one that comes suddenly, almost as if a happy memory or flashback. Suddenly, “Commander Lowell” becomes a hero and admirable person as opposed to a failure and object of ridicule. It is implied that Lowell’s father becomes extremely wealthy such that “he owned a house converted to oil, / and redecorated by the architect/ of St. Mark’s School” (lines 64-66). Finally Lowell, ends his poem with one final praise to his father as his father at “nineteen, the youngest ensign in his class, / he was “the old man” of a gunboat on the Yangtze.” (Lines 70-71) While throughout the poem, Lowell ridiculed his father and depicted his father as an object of ridicule, he in fact does take pride in and respect the memory of this father.

Sylvia Plath also had mixed feelings about her father, and those feelings she expresses in her poems “The Colossus” and “Daddy.” Her ambivalent feelings were those toward death and males, or her father, and towards her adoration and hate towards her father.

Although once again Robert Lowell ridicules his father, his respect and pride in his father is somewhat evident. Lowell’s description of his father as “bronzed, breezy, a shade too ruddy” (line 5) can be an indication of Lowell’s recognition of his father’s hard work and dedication to provide for his family. Furthermore, Lowell seems to brag that his father had survived two coronaries. Immediately there is an impression that Lowell’s father is a tough and strong man, and though he is aged, he consistently shows signs of a healthy man as he is described as “vitally trim”. (Line 13) Lowell describes his father who seems to smile a lot “his oval Lowell smile.” (Line 9) “Each morning at eight-thirty”, (line 33) Lowell’s father is depicted as “inattentive and beaming,” (Line 34) and even until his death, Lowell father has a “morning of anxious, and repetitive smiling”. (Line 44) Also, all the way up until his death, Lowell’s father seemed a healthy man who’s “vision was still twenty-twenty.” (Line 43)

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