Diction In Those Winter Sundays

Love is often overlooked when people are accustomed to its presence. In Robert Hayden’s poem, “Those Winter Sundays,” The narrator recalls how hard his father worked for the comfort of his family without receiving thanks. Parents express their love in indirect ways and are often underappreciated, causing a bittersweet relationship. Through diction, alliteration, and detail, the author conveys how lonely a parent’s love for their child is, and how they do not expect gratitude in return. The author uses diction to communicate the narrator’s regret towards not acknowledging his father’s love. Afraid of the “chronic” angers from his family at home, the speaker expresses that the view he had on his father was not positive. The negative connotation of

When the father wakes and puts his clothes on in the “blueblack cold,” again we see him sacrificing his comfort without appreciation or acknowledgment. The “blueblack” description of cold prompts an image of frostbite, elaborating on the severity of the winter weather. It also adds to the idea of how harsh and lonely love can be when being a responsible parent. Being the only one awake in the frigid early morning, with the absence of warmth and another person’s presence, must be the loneliest time of the fathers day. What wakes the rest of the house and ends this lonesome period is the sound of the cold “splintering” and “breaking.” Like a piece of wood burning in the fire, the cold falls apart and disintegrates, leaving room for warmth to invade their home. The crackling of the fire is what brings movement and life into the morning and is caused by the fathers unacknowledged actions. The narrator takes what his father does for him for granted and never states his appreciation. Waking early in the morning is part of the father’s routine and signifies how hard he is willing to work to make a happy