“forgiving my father,” by Lucille Clifton is a poem in which the narrator depicts her cultivated frustration with her father in an attempt to forgive him of his wrongdoings.  Throughout the poem, the author implants various symbolic language methods in order to relay her message to the audience that there is a long awaited debt to be paid.  Lucille Clifton uses a variety of figurative devices in her poem, “forgiving my father,” such as informality, style, and implication, in order to contribute to the overall theme that she blames her father for her mother’s death.

The title, “forgiving my father,” implies that her father acted in such a way that hurt her, that he did something that requires her forgiveness in order to move on.  By choosing this title, it is clear that Clifton’s father had acted against her in the past, severe enough to hold a grudge for years, as she has continuously struggled to forgive his actions.  This is an interesting choice for the title; forgiveness can be demanded for many reasons, such as money or other goods, but in this instance it is meant to show Clifton allowing herself to move on from her father’s alleged actions that led to her mother’s death. Although, this may not clear initially as the reader may interpret this title as Clifton pardoning her father of being incapable of providing money for her family due to all of the financial references; but after further analysis it can be seen that she believes his lack of providing solely for the females of his family led to the death of her mother.

Clifton writes, “my mother’s hand opens in her early grave and i hold it out like a good daughter” (6-7).  By stating that her mother is in an early grave, implies that her mother did not live to her full potential, concluding that there was an ulterior cause to her death.  This line introduces the idea that Lucille’s mother’s death has to do with her father’s inability to provide for her and she blames him for this, requiring her to forgive him.  Clifton references her father’s inability to support her family by saying, “you gave her all you had which was nothing” (14-15), leading the reader to believe that her father made an attempt to support the entirety of his family.  By including this, Clifton shows why she is willing to make an attempt at forgiveness, for he had also done his best to do his job. Additionally, she writes, “i wish you were rich so i could take it all and give the lady what she was due” (10-11).  Both of these instances pertain to her father being unable to bring anything to the table, the female that is constantly being referred to is Clifton’s mother which leads the reader to believe that she may still be alive if her father was able to properly provide. 

The poem is written, informally, in the shape of a note, very unofficial and addresses the reader as “you.”  This, in combination with the title, shows that the poem is written for her father, as he is the one that requires forgiveness, but also makes the work more personal by addressing the reader constantly throughout.  There are no capital letters used in the poem, this produces a monotonous theme throughout the piece which adds to the effect that she is angry at her father and does not care enough to provide him with proper grammar.  The words in the piece are clearly directed at the father stating, “it is friday, we have come to the paying of the bills.  all week you have stood in my dreams like a ghost” (1-4). By referring to Friday, also known as payday, and adding that her father has been asking for extensions, which is common with money, this forces the reader believe that the father is struggling to maintain the family financially.  Clifton repeatedly uses references to financial debt in her poem in order to relay the message that her father is in need of forgiveness and he has been overdue with his apologies.  “what am i doing here collecting?” (21) Clifton is the debt collector on behalf of her mother, attempting to collect her father’s apology for the wrongdoing of her mother.  

On the surface, the style looks simple due to the short sentences and lack of complicated vocabulary, but this style is actually very elaborate. There are meanings beyond the surface of the text and by piecing together the different clues the reader can conclude that although her father does not physically owe her mother anything, and Clifton is there to collect the metaphorical debt that he has gained through the death of her mother.  She commonly refers to her father as “old man” (6) and” lecher” (9).  It is evident that this apology is long overdue through the choice grammar present in this poem. Clifton has clearly been waiting for her father to apologize for a long time and uses harsh words directed towards him showing that she has run out of patience.  Throughout the piece she is very straightforward in conveying her opinion about her father, often repeating herself stating that time has run out for her father and she will not wait any longer.  The tone of, “forgiving my father” is accusatory in ways that it does not hold back when it comes to putting the blame on her father, Clifton doesn’t sugarcoat her opinion of her father as she continuously insults him, calling him an “old man” and telling him his time is up.  

Through using literary devices such as double-meanings behind words, unusual grammar, and formatting of her poem, Lucille Clifton builds upon her common subliminal message that the death of her mother came at the hands of her father.  By stating many times that her father is in debt to her mother through referencing payday and needing to collect his long-due debt, Clifton successfully portrays a situation that, when under further analysis, leads the reader to the conclusion that her father is being held responsible for her mother’s early death.  
