"Ancestor" by Thomas Kinsella is about the relationship between an elderly lady and a young child. The child and elderly lady are related. Its is most likely a grandmother and grandchild relationship. The poem demonstrates the gap between the young and old generations and how it can be difficult for the two generations to communicate. The poem has no rhyme scheme and the stanzas are all of different lengths. The poet put imagery to good …showed first 75 words of 857 total…

…showed last 75 words of 857 total…darkness to the poem. The poem is told by the child and so the reader only gets the child's view of his grandmother. It seems like the elderly lady has set herself apart from the child but it could well be the other way round. The poem accomplishes well what is demonstrates, how young and old generations find it hard to relate and communicate to each other. This could be a result of changing times.