What My Child Learns of the Sea (Themes)

Themes

Growth and Development

“What My Child Learns of the Sea” deals in large part with the growth and development of both a mother and daughter through time. The speaker, as mother, mentions her own “ripening” as a way of comparing and contrasting the things that her daughter will learn both mentally and physically. Both the speaker and her daughter will continue to grow and develop as they grow older. The speaker has already developed into adulthood, so her daughter will only fully come to learn the kinds of things she knows when the speaker has reached her “autumn,” or late-middle-aged years. Presumably, there comes a time in one’s life (the “winter”) when the learning process slows and one comes to terms with death. Early on, especially in infancy, the learning process is rapid and chaotic. Only during the “summer” and “autumn” years can one learn and reflect on a relatively even keel, incorporating new data.

Consciousness

Changes in consciousness over time are suggested throughout the poem. The speaker’s daughter will move from a state of dependency on the mother to one of greater awareness. The speaker reflects her own self-consciousness by projecting changes in her daughter’s way of seeing things as she grows older while at the same time recognizing her own perceptions. Her daughter will become more conscious as she ages, learning much from her mother but eventually coming to greater consciousness on her own. Consciousness and the articulation of self-reflective thoughts are presumably furthered along by reading and writing. Much of the daughter’s basic vocabulary is instilled by the speaker. Therefore the speaker is “condemned” for “the ways” her daughter will comprehend life via her example, or model, and for “the words / she will use for winter.”

Introspection

The entire poem shows introspection via the speaker as mother. Like an inner mirror, introspection helps a person reflect upon her or his life. In this case, the speaker (and presumably Lorde) examines her role in life as a mother and, by implication, as a daughter, too. When the speaker imagines her daughter standing behind a mirror and “cutting my ropes,” she imagines her daughter as “a strange girl” who has found the ability to reflect about herself on her own. The speaker thereby implies that this is a necessary, if painful, stage for any daughter or child as the child reaches a certain level of maturity.

Instruction and Learning

The theme of learning runs strong through the poem. The speaker’s daughter will learn much about the world from observing her mother. She will “revise every autumn” what she learns, implying a connection to the conventional American school year from kindergarten though college or university. She learns or will learn about her own body and of her place in the world. She learns much from her mother, but she will eventually learn things not taught her by her mother as well. Certain types of learning, such as learning a foreign language, can best be achieved at an early age, while general wisdom about life may deepen with age.

Nature and Its Meaning

The meaning and mysteries of nature permeate throughout each of the four stanzas of “What My Child Learns of the Sea.” The sea, the human body, the seasons, ripening, regeneration, and mortality are all touched upon. The sea, thunder, autumn, winter, and forms of light are all mentioned twice. Nature represents cycles that are part of and beyond the individual person. The sea can represent both the womb and spirituality; it also represents the unconscious aspects of the human mind, such as dreaming. Nature embraces a wide range of phenomena that can be peaceful or dangerous. Terms such as “vortex” and “thunder” tend to evoke images of danger. Nature is full of “riddles” and reflects the mysteriousness of life.