The section makes use of vivid and desciptive language to display the destruction of the bird. The short and abrupt sentences " my first shot struck- and the use of plosive letters such as b' and d' in the words "bundle-, dropped- and "dribbled- imitated the action of the dying bird and the shock and horror experienced by the child.
Contrast to the 1st section "Barn owl- the 2nd section "Nightfall- presents the narrator, now a mature adult with the prospect of losing their father and contrastingly has a calmer acceptance of death. The subdued tone of language of "nightfall-- "we stand in time long promised land- reflects the inevitability of death and an acceptance of death.
The father's change in attitude towards life represents the cycle of life " your face is grown to an ancient innocence- is an oxymoron. It shows that towards the end of his life there seems to be a greater appreciation and innocence in the father's attitude towards life, much like a child. The literary allusion to King Lear- "Ripeness is plainly all- and "Old king, your marvelous journey's done- also shows the cyclical nature of life and greater appreciation of life.
Like "The Glass jar- whose rhyme scheme of ABBACC represents an elaborate ritualistic pattern of life, the rhyme in "father and child- is not apparent, due to the fact that the poem is a narrative. The rhyme scheme ABABCC flows throughout the whole poem but in the 2nd section "Nightfall- the first few stanzas have half rhymes "home/come- and "taste/last- which contrast with the certainty and simplicity of the full rhymes seen throughout the first section.
The changing self of the narrator is from innocent child faced with the horror and realization of death to mature compassionate adult with a calm acceptance of life and death.
In the film " The Matrix- the protagonist Neo experiences a dramatic change in self as a result of being exposed to his AI controlled world, which abruptly reveals his destiny and full potential.
