A Parting Gift Analysis

Matt Ambrosino

Poetry Analysis

“A Parting Gift” is a poem about a wallet given to the speaker by his grandfather, just before his grandfather passed away. In the poem, the wallet not only acts as a physical object, but also as a representation of the lessons and values passed down to the speaker by his grandfather, as well as the respect the speaker had for his grandfather. Matt Ambrosino uses personification, connotation, and figurative speech in “A Parting Gift” to display the respect he had for his grandfather as a role model and teacher.

            Matt uses connotation to draw a connection between the speaker and his grandfather, and establish a relationship. The poem mentions that the wallet once belonged to the speaker’s grandfather, and that it now belongs to the speaker. This connection to family connotes a loving relationship. This is important to the message of the poem as a whole because it establishes how the speaker feels about his grandfather. If the poem had a negative connotation, the poem would be completely different. The establishment of this relationship also sets up the poem to explain the meaning of the wallet itself, and what the wallet means. Similarly to the relationship between grandson and grandfather, if there were a negative connotation, the wallet would stand as a negative memory.

            Matt also uses personification to display that the wallet is representative of the values of the speaker’s grandfather, which are important to the speaker. In the poem, the wallet “preaches simple practicality.” By having the wallet preach, the speaker is showing that the wallet in and of itself is communicating a message. It takes on what would normally be the role of a person, in this case the speakers grandfather. This is important to the rest of the poem because it displays the significance of the wallet itself. It also helps support that the wallet is important to the speaker because of its reflection of the ideals of the speaker’s grandfather.  In turn, this continues to build on the relationship between the speaker and his grandfather, which was first created by connotation in the beginning of the poem. All of this is essential in building a positive image around the speaker, the wallet, and the speaker’s grandfather.

            Ambrosino uses figurative speech throughout the poem to show that the wallet has a deeper meaning than simply being a wallet. As proven by other literary devices, the wallet really stands a beacon of the speaker’s grandfather, and as a reminder of the lessons that were important to him. This part is absolutely essential to the poem as a whole. Without it, the wallet simply remains a wallet and has no deeper meaning. The relationship between the speaker and his grandfather becomes less significant, and the wallet loses all significance. The figurative language in this poem is the driving force behind the most important messages of the poem.

             Matt Ambrosino uses personification, connotation, and figurative speech in “A Parting Gift” to display the respect he had for his grandfather as a role model and teacher. The uses of the literary devices connotation, personification, and figurative in this poem presented a very clear message of respect, and good relations between the speaker of the poem and his grandfather. Without these important literary devices the message of the poem would be lost.