Fatherless Figure Is a parent who has never participated in their child's life still their ‘parent’ or are they a stranger? One of the most well written memoirs, “All Over but the Shoutin’” by Rick Bragg, has all the necessary criteria to be one of the finest. The author paints vivid recollections of his father--- a man who left his family to eventually live a lonely and solemn life. It is cinematic, and Bragg exemplifies an awareness of time. “All Over but the Shoutin'” is a haunting memoir about the struggle of accepting a parent who has abandoned his own flesh and blood. It emphasizes on both personal history and on the historical context in which the events took place. The memoir hooks the reader and peaks their interest, further forcing them into inquiring for more. The author recalls when, as a teenager, he paid a final visit to his dying father. He explained how hard it was visiting him for the first and last time since he left, and how difficult it was to confront his abandonment. Through strong diction and tone, rhetorical devices, and the conflict shown, Bragg displays the theme of being trapped between forgiving and hating his father. Before Bragg allows the reader to fully …show more content…
Using strong diction and tone, rhetorical devices, and through the central conflict, Bragg’s is able to properly portray theme of not being able to decide whether he hates or loves the man that calls himself his father. At some point in his meeting with his father, he wanted to attack and confront his father on what he had done in the past. However he couldn’t because he felt pity for his father after seeing how sick and damaged he was. Bragg’s father also tried be a father, trying to have the father-son chat with Bragg and also giving him gift. This why he found it difficult to completely hate his father and consider forgiving