Speaker
The poem is a first-person narrative account. The narrator is the father of a three-year-old boy. The events of the account recall when the boy fell into a bed of weeds with sharp edges capable of causing painful scratches and cuts.
There is not much explicit description of the speaker. All that is really known is that he is a father of a young son. Valuable information is delivered through both context and subtext. It is immediately apparent that the speaker is a warm, tender, and caring father. By the end, it will also be suggested that is overprotective.
The father's immediate reaction to the event is to attack the sharp, stinging weeds as if they are a predatory villain looking to cause harm. He takes an even sharper sling blade to the enemy and succeeds in destroying it. This death is only a temporary victory, however, as the nettles inevitably grow back. By the end, the father has that he cannot protect his from every threat.
The Son
The description of the speaker's son is just the opposite of that of the father. It is much more focused on direct and explicit factual information that paints a fuller physical portrait. The opening words, for instance, immediately inform the reader that the son is a three-year-old boy.
Imagery paints a portrait of the aftermath of the encounter between boy and nettles. The father is notably not a witness to the actual incident. Instead, he sees the boy only after he has begun crying and has run to his parents in search of comfort.
The young boy's injuries as the result of losing a battle with the nettles is tangible. The father describes how the sharp nettles have left white blisters on his son's skin. Ultimately, however, the tender loving care of his father is soothing enough to bring a smile to his lips mingled with the tears which have run down his face.
