--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The decision for me was whether to have…" description: "\"The decision for me was whether to have 'The Father' be a book that told a story - from the point of view of this speaker, the daughter - without, as i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85a/sharon-olds-8682_book_the-decision-for-me-was-whether-to-have_2970926.jpg" --- # The decision for me was whether to have 'The Father' be a… ![“The decision for me was whether to have 'The Father' be a book that told a story - from the point of view of this speaker, the daughter - without, as in the earlier books, then having a section on something else and a section on something else.” quote by Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85a/sharon-olds-8682_book_the-decision-for-me-was-whether-to-have_2970926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85a/sharon-olds-8682_book_the-decision-for-me-was-whether-to-have_2970926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85a/sharon-olds-8682_book_the-decision-for-me-was-whether-to-have_2970926.jpg) > “The decision for me was whether to have 'The Father' be a book that told a story - from the point of view of this speaker, the daughter - without, as in the earlier books, then having a section on something else and a section on something else.” [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poet debates structuring a narrative solely from a daughter's perspective, questioning the need for additional sections that might dilute the core voice. **In simple terms:** Deciding narrative focus. Key Takeaway Clarify narrative voice. Themes structure voice literary technique Mood analytical creative Type poetic literary When to use this quote - poetic composition - creative decision Key Concepts narrative perspective authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - Should the poem stay singular? - How does structure affect intimacy? A Different Perspective Adding sections may distract from central theme. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [Any decision made by my father was the result of a process that had involved many voices and which sometimes had taken weeks or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/any-decision-made-by-my-father-was-the-result-of-a-process-that-had/) [Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/) > [I made a decision when my father passed away that I was going to be who God made me to be and not try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-made-a-decision-when-my-father-passed-away-that-i-was-going-to-be/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“My father never put a book into my hands and never forbade a book. 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Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“It was a story to tell myself, a promise. Saying out loud, "You're never going to touch me again" - that was a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/it-was-a-story-to-tell-myself-a-promise-saying-out-loud-you-re-never/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“At night I told myself a story, wordless, inside my head, one I liked far better than those in my books. The girl in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/at-night-i-told-myself-a-story-wordless-inside-my-head-one-i-liked/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“You see it is likely that, when my brother told the story, that night when we got home and my mother and sister sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/you-see-it-is-likely-that-when-my-brother-told-the-story-that-night/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [“..., and he told a story once after intercourse, to the person who had just politely hoisted him while he hyperventilated in their space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-marcus/and-he-told-a-story-once-after-intercourse-to-the-person-who-had-just/) [Ben Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-marcus/) ## More by Sharon Olds > [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. 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