My Father's Song

Ortiz’s work often addresses the necessity of respecting the natural world we live in and acting as stewards of the earth. His writing is known for exploring humankind’s alienation from the environment, and from each other, and he encourages readers to reconnect with ancient traditions to reclaim that bond. “My Father’s Song” addresses this desire to respect and appreciate the land, showing that a reverence for nature must be taught by parents to their children. As the power of that moment becomes clear in the poem, it likewise shows that these lessons will create stronger bonds within a family. Indeed, this powerful moment that lingers in the memory of Ortiz shows how the father models respect for the small field mice they find, and rather than lecture the boy, he encourages him to touch the animals so he may fully understand their aliveness and fragility. He allows the boy to help him rehome the mice, just as he is teaching him to farm and to become a thoughtful adult.

Ortiz also writes against the over-mechanization of human life, as he believes excessive over-development and machinery ultimately dehumanize humanity. In “My Father’s Song,” the farmers are using a simple plowshare, ancient technology that is still used in the modern world.