I Ask My Mother To Sing
Li-Young Lee’s poem, “I Ask My Mother to Sing,” was written in 1986 after the death of his father. ... When I first read the poem, I felt sadness and sorrow. ... The mother and daughter sing about China. ... A happy and joyous mood is perceived by the mother and daughter through their singing. ... It makes him happy to know that his mother’s and grandmother’s memories make them happy. ... In the fourth stanza, the feelings and emotions grow so strong, that both the mother and daughter burst into tears. ... They continue to sing because it makes them happy inside. ... After the death of his father, Lee finds comfort in his search for answers to the past by listening to his mother and grandmother sing together.