Stephen Spender’s My Parents explores childhood fear, class division, and social conditioning through a speaker who is both protected and isolated, shaped by the boundaries imposed on him. Through simile, animalistic imagery, and a reflective narrative voice, the poem presents the “rough” children as threatening and unpredictable, revealing how perception is constructed through upbringing rather than objective reality. The speaker’s fear is intensified by both physical imagery and social humiliation, particularly in moments where language becomes a form of attack. As the poem develops, a shift toward self-awareness and regret reframes the speaker’s experience, revealing that his fear was shaped as much by parental influence as by direct interaction. The final lines introduce a sense of missed empathy, suggesting that the speaker now recognises the limitations of his earlier perspective. This movement from fear to reflection transforms the poem into a powerful exploration of how memory, class division, and upbringing shape both experience and understanding.