What Shall He Tell That Son Poem Analysis

In Jody Fong-Bates poem, “What Shall He Tell That Son?” the narrator reflects on the advice that he would like to convey to his son, from his life experiences, that will better prepare his son for the ‘real world.’ While the father’s thoughts indicates his devotion and love for his son, there are some contradictory ideas. The ultimate goal of the father is to create a better life for his son by offering him practical advice for his future. Voicing, “tell him to go be a fool every so often. And to have no shame over having been a fool yet learning something out of every folly.”(22-24) is an idea that implies that his son should go out, have fun and make mistakes that he can learn from. Making mistakes might offer a learning opportunity, but