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"those winter sundays" by robert hayden essay
"those winter sundays" by robert hayden essay
A short note on the theme of love in literature
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Has one ever wondered how to thank someone who was the single most influential person during those fragile first eighteen years of life, and that was there to contain the solidified inconsistencies of society by showing constant love with no conditions that will never erode its stance? In Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing it shows Robert Hayden a poet as an angry child in an annoyed household had no idea what the meaning of unconditional love was, yet as a man who reflected on that experience of perpetual love only then realized the strength of its hold. Moreover, the author not only realized such to write a poem of apology and thanks, but to acknowledge to his father and the world that he is experiencing this “austere and lonely office.” Understanding today that economic inequality can cause a revolt, and inequality among the parents can cause a rupture in the family unit. In a poem called “Those Winter Sundays” the author, Robert Hayden, not only entrusts the parent, child and child, parent relationship, but the poem rings such as to be a connective tissue to society as a whole.
This lyric gives a definitive idea as to who Robert Hayden was as a child. Fast forward as a man, Hayden was the first black American poet to be a consultant on poetry to the Library of Congress. Starting in the 1930s he researched black history for the Federal Writers' Project in his native city of Detroit Michigan. While studying at the University of Michigan Hayden was influenced by W. H. Auden and Stephen Vincent Benet which wrote about slavery and black men fighting in the civil war of United States of America. This influence won Robert Hayden the Hopwood Award in 1942. Later, he graduated from college in ...
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Hayden, Robert Earl. "Those Winter Sunday's." Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. 382. Print.
Johnson, Jeannine. "An overview of "Those Winter Sundays"." Poetry for Students. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 25 April 2014. .
"Robert E(arl) Hayden." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Biography in Context. Web. 24 April 2014. .
and that we should help those less fortunate than ourselves. In this I essay I have shown how successful the poet was in making me share this view by using his thoughtful and intense language, word-choice and imagery techniques.
“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, “My Father as a Guitar” by Martin Espada, and “Digging” by Seamus Heaney are three poems that look into the past of the authors and dig up memories of the authors fathers. The poems contain similar conflicts, settings, and themes that are essential in helping the reader understand the heartfelt feelings the authors have for their fathers. With the authors of the three poems all living the gust of their life in the 1900’s, their biographical will be similar and easier to connect with each other.
Hayden, Robert. ”Those Winter Sundays.” Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. Print.
Whittier, John Greenleaf. “Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyl.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Seventh Shorter Edition. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008. 654-70. Print.
In the dramatic film, Pieces of April, by Peter Hedges, April, oldest daughter of three, decides to invite her estranged family over to her apartment, in New York, for possibly the last Thanksgiving dinner they will have together as a family. At a young age, April moved out/left her family because of their problems. These so call problems of April’s were her drug use, drug dealing boyfriends, and issues between her siblings and her. These family problems consist of lack of understanding towards April and so she is an outcast. Joy, April’s mother, has always had a terrible relationship with April than with Beth, April’s younger sister. With
"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden is a poem about a how the author is recalling how his father would wake up early on Sundays, a day which is usually a reserved as a day of rest by many, to fix a fire for his family. The mood of this poem is a bit sad. It portrays a father, who deeply cares for his family but doesn't seem to show it by emotions, words, or touching. It also describes a home that isn't very warm in feelings as well as the title" Those Winter Sundays" The author describes the father as being a hard worker, in the line "…with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday…", but still even on Sundays--the day of rest, the father works at home to make sure the house is warm for his family. The "blueblack cold described in the poem is now warmed by a father's love. This poem describes the author reminiscing what did not seem obvious at the time, the great love of his father, and the author's regretting to thank his father for all that he did.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. “Winter Dreams.” American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. Seventh ed. Vol. II. New York: Norton & Company, 2008. 1010-25. Print. The Norton Anthology.
The central conflict in Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays”, is the unfortunate realization that the speaker never truly thanked or appreciated his father’s sacrifices when he was a child. After growing up, taking on responsibilities, and achieving a rehabilitated understanding of the world through experience, Hayden expresses his ingratitude that often accompanies with youth. The first line of the first stanza writes, “Sundays too my father got up early/and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold” (Hayden, 17). Out of these two lines, the word “too” is filled with importance because Sunday’s are dedicated to either religious practices, or rest for a working man. Fortunately, this was not his father’s case as his father would wake up early in order to perform his loving and self-sacrificing duties.
“It is true that the poet does not directly address his neighbors; but he does address a great congress of persons who dwell at the back of his mind, a congress of all those who have taught him and whom he has admired; that constitute his ideal audience and his better self” (“Richard Wilbur”, National Book Foundation). Richard Wilbur spoke this famous quote at his National Book Award speech in 1957. Many of the events in Wilbur’s life transitioned to his acceptance of this award, but he did not know what direction his life was going in at the time. From the events in his early childhood learning how to write from his maternal grandfather and great-grandfather, to his later becoming a World War II veteran and getting a degree from Harvard University, and everything in-between, Richard Wilbur spent the rest of his life creating a breathtaking assortment of poems which largely connected to his early life.
While most of us think back to memories of our childhood and our relationships with our parents, we all have what he would call defining moments in our views of motherhood or fatherhood. It is clearly evident that both Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden have much to say about the roles of fathers in their two poems as well. While the relationships with their fathers differ somewhat, both men are thinking back to a defining moment in their childhood and remembering it with a poem. "My Papa's Waltz" and "Those Winter Sundays" both give the reader a snapshot view of one defining moment in their childhood, and these moments speak about the way these children view their fathers. Told now years later, they understand even more about these moments.
For my poetry paper I chose to examine poetry from the family album. The family album stood out to me significantly because I thoroughly enjoyed all of the poems because I had a personal connection with it. Family has always been an important part of my life and I think this particular album speaks volume. This album has many levels to it, some deeper than others. I feel that from reading poetry, it expands our ability to think and form ideas that we would have not thought about before. Poetry gives readers the ability to make connections on a deeper level and see things from a different perspective. The two poems that spoke to me in this album specifically were “Those Winter Sundays” By Robert Hayden and “Begotten” by Andrew Hudgins. These two poems are both similar because they are from a son’s point of view, talking about their parent(s). “Those Winter Sundays” was one of my all-time favorite poems from this album because it shows a hard working father who is dedicated to his family, but does not get any recognition for his hard work.
Suspicion, mistrust, and accusations were the first three words that came to mind when reading Dana Gioia’s “Thanks For Remembering Us”. This sarcastic poem brings darkness to an action that would otherwise be deemed as thoughtful and kind-hearted. The title of the poem is deceiving and taunting, the speaker’s fruitless relationship is heavily symbolized by the flowers, and the overall theme is “failing to let go of love”.
Julia Alvarez. “Snow”. Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Lauren G, Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston, Wadsworth 2011. 75-76. Print
Pyle, Fitzroy. The Winter's Tale: A Commentary on the Structure. New York: Routledge & Paul, 1969.
Klinkowitz, Jerome and Patricia B Wallace. The Norton Anthology of Americal Literature. Seventh. Vol. Volume D. New York City: Norton, 2007, 2003, 1998, 1994, 1989, 1985, 1979. 5 vols.