In the poems, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden and My Papa's Waltz by Theodore Roethke, are two poems that are about their relationship with their fathers. In both poems, the authors reflect back to their childhood admiring their love and respect for their fathers. They loved their fathers dearly, but their relationship with them was nowhere near perfect.
In the poem “Those Winter Sundays”, Robert Hayden also reflects back to his childhood. “Sundays too my father got up early” (line 1). Hayden implied that his father was a hard worker and instead of sleeping in and resting on Sundays he got up to make the house warm for his family. Once the house was warm, he would call the family out of bed. This shows his love for his family, but the family does not thank him for this.
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It was very regular for his father to return home late at night, with the smell of alcohol all over him, and begin dancing with him. Roethke described his father's hands as “battered on one knuckle” (line 10), which portrays him as a hard working man. The poet and his father "romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf" (line 5-6). His mother didn’t like this and it made her frown. The whole poem illustrates the poet and his father having fun and playing together no matter the circumstances. They loved spending time together even though his father had enough alcohol on his breath “to make a small boy dizzy” (line
just as any other morning, his father rises early and puts on his clothes in the
“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.
Robert Hayden poem ”Those Winter Sundays” explores his father as an unsung hero and it also presents an acknowledgement of poets lack of gratitude for his father. The speaker reflects on the childhood memories of his father and goes on to find all kinds of disabilities he had in terms of realization regarding the pain father bared for the poet. Story is very emotional in the way that the speaker reveals sacrifices of his father during his childhood throughout the poem. It is agonizing and the words used in the poem are really an expression of desperation and sadness as he is really missing that time. There are a number of sacrifices made by the father during the harsh winter season of writer’s childhood. In his childhood he was not actually aware about the harshness of those lovely and affectionate feelings that his father had about him. In the poem ”Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden uses imagery and sound devices to portray his father as an unsung hero and to acknowledge his own lack of gratitude
The poem “Those Winter Sundays” displays a past relationship between a child and his father. Hayden makes use of past tense phrases such as “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking” (6) to show the readers that the child is remembering certain events that took place in the past. Although the child’s father did not openly express his love towards him when he was growing up, the child now feels a great amount of guilt for never thanking his father for all the things he actually did for him and his family. This poem proves that love can come in more than one form, and it is not always a completely obvious act.
The lack of verbal communication between his father and himself can be seen in his poem "Those Winter Sundays." The overall impression of the poem is that love can be communicated in other ways than through words; it can be communicated through everyday, mundane actions. For example, in the poem, the father awakens on "Sundays too" to warm the house with a fire and polish his sons shoes. There is a sense of coldness in the beginning of the poem through the lines:
Some poets see their father with a new found appreciation. For example, in Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays,” the narrator expresses his appreciation for his father when he poses the question: “What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?” (Hayden 13-14). As a child, it is hard to gain an appreciation for one’s father because one does not think about how much a father does for his child. When the speaker grows older, he reflects on his childhood and realizes how much his father has done for him. Everything that the father did for his son and family was done out of love, and the father did not gain any recognition at all. One example of the father helping his family is when he builds the fires to keep the household warm:
Father and son relationships are important in families. A father is not only a hard worker and provider for his family, but also a man that spends time with and takes care of his children. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, and in Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” are two poems that tell a story of the relationship between father and son. In these two poems, the reader takes a look back at how their fathers had treated them. Both parents were not perfect, their children had love and respect for them, and in contrast the two fathers had different approaches when treating their sons.
Roethke puts the whole poem in the voice of the daughter where everything is coming from her perspective. The first stanza talks about how her father was so drunk that she was feeling nauseous. She says that waltzing they were doing was not easy for her with how her father was spinning around. In the second stanza she talks about how pots and pans
An abusive and alcoholic father? Or a hardworking and loving dad? Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is about a young boy, who is the author in the poem, reminiscing the fond memories he had with his dad. The author lived a depressing life growing up because he lost his dad from cancer at the young age of fifteen. In effect, he encourages his readers to spend time with their parents and be good to them because once they’re gone, their lives will change dramatically, especially if they have a strong bond between them. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and the diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore
Love is not just a feeling, but a commitment and sacrifice as well. In “Those Winter Sundays”, author Robert Hayden tells the story of a hardworking father waking up in the cold to kindle a fire, while his indolent son ungratefully slumps from his warm bed. The relationship between these two show that love can be shown in a variety of ways, but the diction and figurative language used by Hayden convey that sacrifice is the most subtle approach.
This essay is an analysis of the comparison between the poems “My Papa’s Waltz” by Roethke, and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, and also which role of the two fathers are close to being the best one when it comes to good parenting.This analysis will emphasize the importance of good parenting, and it is long term affects on children. A good parent is someone who will put their children’s needs before their own.
Although Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden have very different experiences in childhood to write about, the overall message is appreciation of their fathers. Roethke's narrator appreciates that even though his father is not a polished dancer, he takes the time to roughhouse and dance with him as a boy. Even though it hurts a little, it is a fun moment between father and son. Hayden's narrator remembers what his father did for him every morning-lighting the fire and polishing his shoes-and has great regret that he didn't appreciate his father more for doing this things. However, Hayden gives us the chance, with this poem, to appreciate our fathers more.
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.
"Those Winter Sundays" is a very touching poem. It is written by Robert Hayden who has written many other poems. This paper will talk about the poem "Those Winter Sundays". In particular we will look at the structure, main idea, and each stanza of the poem.
As children, we all view our relationship with our parents as something sacred. If suddenly that relationship began to fade little by little one would feel a great amount of sorrow. Poet, Robert Hayden, captured this complicated child and parent relationship in his free verse poem, “Those Winter Sundays.” In “Those Winter Sundays”, Hayden uses multiple literary devices and rhetorical methods to illustrate his feelings towards a tricky father and child relationship.