A Father's Worry

The literary devices of metaphors in the poem “A Story” by Li-Young Li contribute immensely to the central tension or main idea that the son has to move on from his father and not be tied down. An example of a metaphor in the poem is on line 18 where it states, “Am I a god that I should never disappoint?” This relates to the central tension or the main idea because since the father is worried about the son leaving, he asks him if he has to be a god because he should never disappoint his son. Another example of a metaphor is on lines six and seven where it states, “In a room full of book in a world of stories…” These lines are talking about how it is sad as to how a father can’t come up with one new story to tell his son when the world is so big. It also shows why the son needs to move on because his father cannot come up with a good enough story for his son to hear. Literary devices can play hugely on the main idea or the central tension in any piece of writing.