# Hard Daddy explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

A woman turns to her father for comfort in her blues, but he coldly rejects her tears. She then fantasizes about having the power to fly like an eagle and attack her man in retaliation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Loss

The speaker's blues stem from a troubled relationship with her man, and her father's rejection deepens her sense of loss and isolation.

### Resilience and Joy

Despite the pain, the speaker's violent fantasy of flying and scratching out her man's eyes shows a defiant, resilient spirit rather than passive despair.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker who goes to her daddy with the blues and later imagines flying like an eagle to scratch out her man's eyes.

### Daddy

The hard-hearted father who dismisses his daughter's tears, saying a woman's crying never bothers him.

## Key lines

> I went to ma daddy, Says Daddy I have got de blues.

I approached my father and told him I was feeling deeply sad.

_The speaker seeks comfort from her father for her emotional pain._

> He said a woman’s cryin’s Never gonna bother me.

He declared that a woman's tears would never affect him.

_The father's harsh response shows his emotional detachment and lack of empathy._

> I wish I had wings to Fly like de eagle flies. I’d fly on ma man an’ I’d scratch out both his eyes.

I wish I could soar like an eagle so I could attack my man and gouge out his eyes.

_The speaker's fantasy of violent revenge reveals her intense anger and desire for power._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/hard-daddy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters