Having negative feelings towards a family member is often difficult to deal with. An individual may disagree with a family member's actions; however, they are still related. This struggle is shown in the poem My Father by James Berry. The speaker of the poem addresses his feelings of resentment towards his father. Berry uses a list-like structure, contrasting ideas, and imagery to portray the speaker/son's negative feelings towards the father. Throughout the poem, the speaker responds to his father's actions by outlining his feelings. A coherent structure, with the exception of the third stanza, is found within the poem. It almost sounds like the speaker is creating a list of causes and effects. Berry's choice to begin each stanzaThe father is consistent in taking actions that the son does not agree with; resulting in feelings such as "anger" or "dead". The word “for” also distinguishes between the cause and effect of each point. Each stanza begins with “for,” immediately followed by an action of the father; this can be seen as the “cause”. The "effect" is then shown every time the speaker states that "he [the father] did...". Furthermore, the effect expresses the child's reactions or feelings. For example in the fourth verse, “because he expected my mother to earn money like food… it drove us crazy.” The father who expects so much from the mother causes the children to "all remain dead-faced". This list quality is reinforced by the lack of punctuation in the poem. There are also many strong contrasts in James Berry's poem that help readers have a better understanding of the father's character. At the beginning, the speaker first describes his father as “so black, so muscular, so well curved.” This image of a man implies that he works in a physically strenuous occupation that requires a great deal of time outdoors. On first reading this description, one might believe that the son is praising the father. However, Berry immediately counters by describing his father as “a well-groomed showman, too fit to go barefoot every day.” This statement turns the whole idea on its head and paints a picture of a man too proud to even walk barefoot. This changes the tone of the initial description to mocking and sardonic. This contrast between a practical, physical man and an arrogant “show man” is further emphasized in the third stanza. Instead of working outside in the fields, the father “sits all day in the tall grass talking softly with weak jaws.” The father's lack of activity is once again contrasted with the mother's attempt to “earn money with food and clothes and to be the sum of every demand”. These contrasts highlight the arrogance and pride of the father in the eyes of the son. The speaker shows how he despises his father for having these qualities and also expresses sympathy towards his mother. Furthermore, there is a contrast between the man the father appears to be in society