Oh, papa—this little dude really and truly looks up to his dad. Told through his eyes, his father is the most magnificent plowman to have ever walked the face of the earth, and man, does he want to be like him. The speaker of "Follower" is like a little puppy dog, following him around while he works, stumbling and chatting (probably a complete distraction for his hard-working dad). He simply wants to be around him. (All together now: "Aww.") The son's admiring eye takes in with impressive detail his father's expert moves in the field. Though the son shows no signs of the skillfulness his dad has, that doesn't stop him from wanting to follow in his footsteps.
Questions About Admiration
- Which three lines in the poem do you think show the son's admiration at its strongest?
- Why do you think the boy admires the father so much as a plowman when it seems perfectly clear that the son has no natural affinity for plowing?
- Do you think the father is really that good at plowing, or do you think the boy's admiration has clouded his judgment a bit? What parts of the poem give you your answer?
- At the end of the poem, the roles have reversed and the father is now following the son around all the time. Do you think the father admires the son, just as the son admired the father? Or do you think the situation is different (and how might it be)?
Chew on This
Meh—the admiration that the speaker recalls for his dad is likely short-lived, and is really nothing special. He was just a kid, and all kids want to be like their dad at some stage of their lives. He probably grew out of it six months later, when he dad his dad drop him off at school like six blocks away.
Even though the son has grown up and he no longer follows his father like a puppy, he still admires him. (Somebody's getting a "World's Greatest Dad" mug for the holidays.)