Final answer:
The promises of a father to his family cover a range of responsibilities, including the recovery of ancestral lands, providing a home, ensuring family welfare, making judicial decisions, guiding and instructing children, and playing a role in their social relationships. These promises are informed by historical, cultural, and ethical principles that dictate the father's role within the family structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The promises of the father to his family are rooted in various cultural and historical contexts, reflecting the father's role and responsibilities within the family structure. The extracts provided discuss different aspects and expectations related to the father's commitments to the family, ranging from property and prosperity to care and education.
For instance, one father vows to recover lands stolen by the Spaniards, demonstrating the aspect of reclamation and justice as a promise to his offspring. Another man fails to keep his promise of a new house to his wife, illustrating the potential of broken promises and the consequent expectation of accountability within the family. In Roman tradition, the paterfamilias had a significant role in ensuring the family's welfare and making judicial decisions, thus promising social and financial guidance and support.
The notion of a father giving away a daughter in marriage speaks to traditional promises related to kinship and the father's role in the social placement of family members. Lastly, Confucian values underline the importance of filial piety and the promise of a father to teach his son while the son maintains reverence and obedience, sustaining familial and societal harmony.