Olds, Sharon : High School Senior

Literature Annotations

	On-Line Text
Genre	Poem
Keywords	Mother-Daughter Relationship, Parenthood
Summary	A mother reflects on the significance of her daughter’s anticipated departure for college. She compares how she felt before the birth of her daughter--unable to imagine what life would be like with her--and how she feels now, unable to imagine life without her. Since her birth, the child has been an essential part of the mother’s life, "like food or air . . . like a mother."
Commentary	A sensitive reflection on one of the important landmarks of parenting in contemporary American culture--the loss experienced when children first leave home, often never to live there again.
Source	The Wellspring
Publisher	Knopf
Edition	1996
Place Published	New York
Annotated by	Aull, Felice
Date of Entry	04/15/96
Last Revised	08/24/06