In Antiquity, Spartan sons were taken from their mothers from age seven and trained for

13 years separated from their parents . Raised in the wild , sometimes fighting animals
such as wolves, they were brought up to be  warriors..Parenting has undergone significant
changes since then. As the years have passed, parents have increasingly endeavored to
mold their children to the utmost of their capabilities. Presently, the children ,who were
once regarded as work tools or even worse, have now become the heart of most families.
 This idea is seen in  literary works such as Ernest Hemingway’s "My Old Man".As we delve
into the topic of parental influence in literature, we find that some of our american
authors such as Robert Hayden and Theodore Roethke have opted for the art of poetry
to portray this theme .They wrote  Those Winter Sundays and my Papa’s Waltz. While
other authors, such as William Faulkner , have taken the path of storytelling and have
shared their opinions through short stories like "A Rose for Emily '' . I chose these
documents to explore how families can influence children's behaviors in unexpected ways.
Some parents provide unwavering support or set high standards for their children,
but the newborns may veer off course. Conversely, others hold lower expectations,
offer little support, or even cause harm, yet their children don't turn out as poorly
as one may expect.

In Robert Hayden's poem "Those Winter Sundays," the narrator reflects on their
relationship with a hardworking father during their childhood. 

We clearly see that the parent sacrifices himself for the child. In the first stanza, the
speaker describes the parent's hands as "cracked" and aching from labor showing the
physical toll of their efforts.Despite the father’s loving actions, such as lighting fires and
polishing shoes, the poem reveals the negative impact this upbringing had on the child. 
In the second stanza,the speaker remembers the "chronic angers" that affected their
relationship, indicating unresolved emotional conflicts. The repetition of "What did I
know?" throughout the text highlights the child's lack of understanding and the
disconnect between the parent's actions and the child's perception.We feel the tone of
guilt throughout this poem as the adult  narrator thinks of his childhood.We feel this tone
in the line "No one ever thanked him" which reveals a lack of appreciation and a missed
opportunity for the child to express gratitude,highlighting the negative impact of the
parent's support on the child's emotional well-being.

On the other hand,The phrase "love's austere and lonely offices" conveys a poignant
depiction of the father's expression of love.It suggests that the father's love was not
expressed through lavish gestures or grand displays of affection. Rather, it was
demonstrated through modest and disciplined actions. The father woke up early on
winter mornings, braving the cold to perform his duties for the family. These tasks may
seem mundane or ordinary, but they were the father's way of expressing his love and
care.
The resentment born from this lack of appreciation of effort demonstrates how a 
supportive parent can unknowingly influence their child to hold negative feelings
towards them.

Now, let's shift our focus to a literary work that portrays a family where the father is also
hardworking, but the child's upbringing differs significantly from the one depicted in "Those
Winter Sundays." This short story is titled "My Old Man" and is written by Ernest Hemingway.
The narrative is told through the eyes of a young boy named Joe who holds his father, a
jockey in the horse racing industry, in high regard.In this short-story, The father's
hardwork to provide for his son is admired by him. In this passage at the start of the
story, the narrator describes his father diligently working out under the blazing sun.

This act shows that Joe admires his father. It also indicates that he has a genuine
interest in his father's activities and holds his dedication in high regard. 

Moreover, Joe's affection for his father is conveyed through vivid descriptions and
positive language. He portrays him as "fun" and highlights his hard work. 

Finally,The subsequent moment of rest and relaxation amplifies Joe's admiration and
strengthens their bond. Joe's father joins him, sitting against a tree, enjoying their
shared presence. This act of physical closeness and the subsequent conversation serve
as powerful demonstrations of the deep bond between these two characters.

This literary instance exemplifies the anticipated impact of parental influence in which a
hardworking parent garners admiration from their child.
Now, let's consider a different perspective and examine a parent who holds their daughter in high regard.

"A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner depicts the funeral of Emily Grierson in her
house and presents her life through retrospections. Emily's father is portrayed as a strict
and overprotective figure who refuses to let Emily pursue any romantic relationships. He
believes that no man is worthy of his daughter and drives away any potential
suitors.After her father's death, she finds a lover, Homer Barron, who presumably brings
joy into her life. 
This excerpt is the end of the story when the townsfolk who attended the funeral go
upstairs to Emily's house.. 
The "profound and fleshless grin" refers to the discovery of the decaying body of Miss
Emily's former lover. The body is found lying on a bed, and it is clear that he has been
dead for quite some time. It is implied that Emily herself killed Homer because earlier in
the book she bought arsenic and clearly stated it was not for killing mice. Moreover, the
phrase” The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace” suggests that
Homer might have died in Miss Emily’s arms or that Miss Emily regularly hugged the
dead corpse.

Additionally, the text mentions a second pillow with an indentation of a head, hinting at
the possibility that Miss Emily had been sleeping beside the corpse. The discovery of a
strand of her hair on the pillow further proves this point.

Finally, the utilization of expressions such as "grimace of love” provides us with insight
into the extent of distortion within Miss Emily's actions, there was definitely something
wrong with her.

So,in this short story, an autoritarian parent who holds his daughter in high standards
contributes to her descent into madness and paranoia as seen in this excerpt. .    
Let's explore another instance of harmful parenting portrayed in Theodore Roethke's
"My Papa's Waltz." This poem portrays  the beating of a child by his father who is drunk.

The poem highlights the power imbalance between the father and child.  The inclusion
of words such as "whiskey," "beat," and "scraped" generates a sense of hostility and
discomfort, suggesting the presence of domestic violence perpetuated by the father.
The mention of the father's belt buckle scraping the child's right ear suggests the use of
force to which the child is victim to. The child's "battered" condition implies physical
injury.

Despite the abusive environment, the child's feelings toward the father are complex.
The child clings to the father's shirt, revealing a mix of fear and a desire for parental
affection within this harmful relationship. The poem prompts us to ponder the
psychological consequences of abuse on the child, leading us to question whether the
child's attachment to his father stems from love or from the acceptance that abusive
behavior is normal which would be perpetuating a cycle of violence and abuse. I believe
that the child clings onto the shirt longing for affection more so than accepting abuse as
a standard.

The waltz itself serves as a metaphor for the troubled father-child relationship. What
should be a graceful and harmonious dance becomes distorted and chaotic, mirroring
the dysfunctional dynamics between the abusive father and the child.
Surprisingly, despite the presence of an extremely abusive parent, the outcome
portrayed in the poem is not as negative as one might expect. The poem does not hint
at the child resorting to drinking or smoking as a destructive coping mechanism. The
only child clings to his father shirt for affection

In both "A Rose for Emily" and "My Papa's Waltz," the authors portray parents who display
authoritarian or potentially abusive tendencies. However, the transformation in personality
experienced by Emily takes a much darker path compared to the child's experience in "My
Papa's Waltz." Similarly, in "My Old Man" and "Those Winter Sundays," both stories feature
hardworking fathers, but the outcomes differ as one child grows ungrateful while the other
becomes admiring of their father. These parallels demonstrate that parental influence can yield
predictable results in certain instances, but in other scenarios, it may not have the anticipated
outcome. However, due to the uncertainty of predicting whether an outcome is foreseeable or
not, the foreseeable result becomes unforeseeable.