Many people don’t recognize others’ expressions of love. For instance, children may not realize that simple actions made by their parents are their parents’ way of saying “I love you.” In the poem, “Those Winter Sundays,” Robert Hayden describes an adult who regrets not appreciating his father as a child, and who now has a better understanding of the challenging and occasionally lonely responsibilities of a parent. The way in which Hayden describes the father’s and the narrator’s actions, his use of K and hard C words, and his portrayal of love in the last line of the poem illuminate Hayden’s message that parents will do and sacrifice anything for their children out of love and, therefore, one should take time to appreciate them.
The descriptions of the father’s and the speaker’s actions elucidate
In the first stanza, Hayden describes the father’s morning; the father “got up early” and “put his clothes on.” (1-2) Then, later in the second stanza when describing the son’s morning, Hayden uses the words “rise” and “dress” (8). Although the father and son perform identical actions, the descriptions of those actions are completely different. While “got up early” and “put his clothes on” are common phrases people use daily, “rise” and “dress” sound more graceful and perhaps more educated. The difference in the description of the father’s morning versus the speaker’s morning allude to the idea that the son has a better or easier life than the father. In the third stanza, Hayden wrote, “Speaking indifferently to him, / who had driven out the cold / and polished my good shoes” (10-12). These lines give the reader insight in regards to the narrator’s perception of his father as a child and his perceptions now as an adult. Hayden allows one to infer the narrator’s feelings as a child towards his father by the way the narrator speaks to him – indifferently. The narrator did not think much of his
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.
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
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:
“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.
If I were asked who the most precious people in my life are, I would undoubtedly answer: my family. They were the people whom I could lean on to matter what happens. Nonetheless, after overhearing my mother demanded a divorce, I could not love her as much as how I loved her once because she had crushed my belief on how perfect life was when I had a family. I felt as if she did not love me anymore. Poets like Philip Levine and Robert Hayden understand this feeling and depict it in their poems “What Work Is” and “Those Winter Sundays.” These poems convey how it feels like to not feel love from the family that should have loved us more than anything in the world. Yet, they also convey the reconciliation that these family members finally reach because the speakers can eventually see love, the fundamental component of every family in the world, which is always presence, indeed. Just like I finally comprehended the reason behind my mother’s decision was to protect me from living in poverty after my father lost his job.
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 by Robert Hayden Those winter Sundays written by Robert Hayden is a poem to ponder for a while. The poem may look simple, but analyzing it deeply shows that is a complicated one with a well-defined sentiment of no appreciation and sorrow towards his father. These sentiments will change to the end of the poem. Also, the poem can be understood in various ways: one way could be a positive feeling from the writer towards his father or the other one could be a complaint about his father's toughness.
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.
In his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke, an award-winning and critically acclaimed poet, emphasizes the strong bond between a father and his son by describing a drunken father dancing in the kitchen with his young son. Unfortunately, when Roethke was only fourteen, his father passed away from cancer and his uncle committed suicide. Although these events are tragic, they impacted Roethke deeply and influenced his works, especially “My Papa’s Waltz” (CITE). Through his use of diction, style, and imagery in “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke effectively supports the theme of a child’s admiration for his parents.
The poem is written in the father’s point of view; this gives insight of the father’s character and
‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’, written by Alice Walker, and ‘Praise Song for My Mother’ by Grace Nichols both examine a child’s relationship for their parents and the different love that exists between them. Walker writes nostalgically about her father who had passed away and focuses on their relationship together. Walker writes “He taught me” to tell the reader that her father’s care and love for her guided her to be the person she is today. Nostalgia is also shown in ‘Praise Song for My Mother’, when Nichols writes “You were water to me”. Nichols uses this metaphor to underline the love for her mother and to show that she can’t live without her, similar to the way one can’t live without water. This nostalgic remembrance puts emphasis on the closeness of the relationships, when love is unconditional. In ‘Poem at Thirty-Nine’ we learn the life lessons taught by her father. Walker is perfectly capable of “chopping wood” and we understand that her father would be “proud of the” way she has matured, showing that though she may miss her father, she is an independent women, and does not necessarily need a man in her life...
Abuse is a difficult and sensitive subject that can have long lasting effects. These traumatic emotional effects are often intensified if the abuse happens at a young age because children do not understand why the abuse is happening or how to deal with it. There are many abuse programs set up to counter the severe effects which abuse can have. Even more, poets and writers all over the world contribute works that express the saddening events and force the public to realize it is much more real than the informative articles we read about. One such poem is Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz which looks carefully through the eyes of a young boy into the household of an abusive father. Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays is a similar poem from the perspective of a young adult reflecting back on the childhood relationship with his father and the abuse his father inflicted. These poems are important because they deal with the complex issues surrounding the subject of abuse and also show the different ways which children react to it. My Papa’s Waltz and Those Winter Sundays are similar poems because they use tone, imagery, and sounds and rhythms to create tension between the negative aspects of abuse and the boys own love and understanding for their father.
This father not only provides for his son, but also goes above and beyond to cater to his wants as well. “When the rooms were warm, he’d call” (Hayden, 7) is an example of the many things this father does for his son. He wakes up early in the morning, starts a fire to warm the house, and then when the house is warm enough for comfort, he wakes the son. Despite all the father does for his son, “No one ever thanked him” (Hayden, 5). The love of a parent to a child is unconditional, however, in some situations there is no relationship between the two. In this case, the love this father has for his son endures an uneasy relationship. The son is very indifferent and unappreciative of the father and instead of the relationship suffering, the fathers love endures the emotional abuse and continues to care for him and accommodate to his happiness. As a father, he puts his son before himself and undergoes the
Since no two relationships are alike, love can be expressed through different ways and can still be able to get across to a person’s significant other. The different views of expressing one’s love can be seen in the poem “Valentine,” by Carol Ann Duff, as one lover gives their lover an unusual gift for Valentine's Day. The other way it is shown, is in Julie Sheehan’s poem, “Hate Poem,” which displays one’s love for the other person, using a negative meaning to show how much they truly love the other person. The contrasting views of love in both “Valentine” and “Hate Poem,” are shown through the different perspectives, languages, and themes.
Many writers use powerful words to portray powerful messages. Whether a writer’s choice of diction is cheerful, bitter, or in Robert Hayden’s case in his poem “Those Winter Sundays,” dismal and painful, it is the diction that formulates the tone of the piece. It is the diction which Hayden so properly places that allows us to read the poem and picture the cold tension of his foster home, and envision the barren home where his poem’s inspiration comes from. Hayden’s tumultuous childhood, along with the unorthodox relationships with his biological parents and foster parents help him to create the strong diction that permeates the dismal tone of “Those Winter Sundays.” Hayden’s ability to both overcome his tribulations and generate enough courage