Analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden. Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden 2022-10-31

Analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden Rating: 4,6/10 1631 reviews

"Those Winter Sundays" is a poignant and beautifully written poem by Robert Hayden that captures the quiet, unyielding love and sacrifice of a father. Through the use of imagery, tone, and structure, Hayden conveys the struggles and hardships of this father, who works tirelessly to provide for his family even on the coldest, darkest days of winter.

The poem begins with a simple yet evocative description of the father, "blueblack frost" covering the windows and the "cracked hands" that ache from the cold. This imagery immediately establishes the harsh and unforgiving nature of the winter season, as well as the father's relentless dedication to his family. It also suggests the physical toll that the father's labor takes on him, as his hands are "cracked" from the cold and his body is "numb" from the "cracked hands."

As the poem progresses, Hayden paints a vivid picture of the father's daily routine, from waking up before dawn to "make a fire" and "polish" the "doorknob and the boots." These mundane tasks, which might seem insignificant to some, are actually acts of love and devotion. The father performs them willingly, despite the "cracked hands" and the "blueblack frost," because he knows that they are necessary for the well-being and comfort of his family.

The tone of the poem is one of quiet reverence and appreciation. Hayden does not explicitly express admiration for the father, but rather allows the reader to infer it through the details and descriptions of the father's actions. The speaker, who is presumably the poet himself, reflects on the sacrifices of the father with a sense of guilt and regret, acknowledging that he did not fully understand or appreciate them at the time. This is evident in the lines, "What did I know, what did I know / of love's austere and lonely offices?"

The structure of the poem also plays a significant role in its overall meaning and impact. The poem is written in free verse, with no rhyme scheme or regular meter. This choice of form reflects the unpredictable and irregular nature of the father's work, as well as the speaker's own uncertainty and hindsight. The poem is also divided into two stanzas, with the first stanza focusing on the father's physical labor and the second stanza exploring the emotional toll it takes on him. This division serves to emphasize the complexity and depth of the father's love and devotion, which goes beyond the visible and tangible actions of a working man.

In conclusion, "Those Winter Sundays" is a powerful and moving tribute to the love and sacrifice of a father. Through vivid imagery, a contemplative tone, and a structured yet free-flowing form, Hayden conveys the struggles and hardships of this father, who works tirelessly to provide for his family even on the coldest, darkest days of winter. The poem serves as a reminder of the small acts of love and devotion that often go unnoticed or unappreciated, and encourages readers to reflect on the sacrifices of those who care for us.

Poem Analysis Of Those Winter Sundays By Robert Hayden

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

The father does not rouse the boy immediately or force him to face the same cold darkness he did. If they were seen intimate, probably father would be offended by the master. Allusion Allusions are a direct or indirect reference made to well-known persons, objects, events, places, etc. Hayden grew up in a poor neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan during the 1920's. He accomplishes his Sunday tasks with aching, skin-cracked hands subjected during the week to the fierce cold he endures on the job. It is also based in a cold winter night, much like the weather back in Detroit, where Hayden grew up. On Sunday, the biblical day of rest, the father arose to do more work after a strenuous work week.


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Literary Analysis Of Those Winter Sundays By Robert Hayden: Free Essay Example, 1027 words

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

Thus the fires his father lit to warm the house on Sunday mornings. The feelings that the poets have toward the subject are found deep within the two poems often hidden behind how the character feels toward his own father. He describes these sacrifices made by his father as having been unseen, unappreciated. Detroit can get brutally cold in the winter, and Hayden's childhood house would not have had central heating. He is the only person in the house who understands his father well. Though the poem lacks figurative language, and is free verse, or lacks rhyme and rhythm, the fact that it is fourteen lines suggests that it is loosely based on a sonnet, a form of poetry that is often about love and the passage of time, which, in an unconventional way, fits the content of Hayden's poem. Hayden closes this five-line stanza with the frank declaration that no one ever thanked the man for these efforts.

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Those Winter Sundays Poem Summary and Analysis

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

The rest of the week, he worked himself hard to support his family. His tone is mostly negative, sad, and regrettable through the whole narration, but in the final lines, it shifts to a positive one, which suggests that the speaker changes his idea of his father when he becomes an adult. If this is the case, another reason to be grateful for the father arises from the idea that the child was terrified of what he dealt with. While the two poems have similarities; in that, the fathers work hard and believe in stern punishment, they also have several contrasting ideas in parenting that separate their respective roles as fathers. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem. Nobody understands the suffering of his father. The speaker of the poem, who is an adult, remembers how, when he was a boy, his father would get up early on Sunday mornings throughout the winter to start a fire and warm the home before anybody else got out of bed.

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"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden Poem Analysis

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

Many of his works were influenced by his own experiences, but he wrote masterfully in a number of different voices. The father often scolded him for his better health. The blue represents infidelity since the father continued to arise early to warm the house for his son and carry out small acts of unspoken love. He served as the Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1976 to 1978, the post now referred to as the U. This is a worse possibility. Usually on Sundays, other people got rest and comfort, but even during the holidays his father had to work despite his suffering of weeklong hard labor.

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Those Winter Sundays Poem Summary And Line By Line Analysis By Robert Hayden In English • English Summary

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

They often do not see the love that is expressed indirectly towards them, but it is simply natural for a young child to be self-centered. This poem is from the perspective of a man telling about his experiences from his youth. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert Hayden was born Asa Bundy Sheffey on the 4th of August, 1913, in Detroit, Michigan to Ruth and Asa Sheffey. Have you read these? A poor has understood the other poor, son has understood the father and black has understood the black. The task required effort and may have involved discomfort, if not pain.

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"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden: Summary and Analysis

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

However, his foster father made it better through his sacrifices. Since it is a Sunday, we assume it is in preparation for Sunday Mass at church. Hayden, now being grown up, can truly appreciate the love and patience that his family had for him and how selfless they were for him, especially his father. It is only in adulthood the child is able to see the goodness in the parent. The father waits until the rooms are warm, which is another distinct kindness. It's more than just a speaker reflecting that as a child, he didn't notice how his father took care of him. At the time, he felt only the negative energy that resided in the house and not of the effort his father went to in order to warm the house and polish his shoes.

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Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

Both father and son give the mutual care to each other. Some parents do not show approval or give attention to their child, causing the relationship to become estranged. Only when the house was warm did he awaken his son to dress. Hayden opens the poem with this visual image to present the father as a hard-working parent. After the father makes the room warm, he calls his son to enjoy the warmth. His growing through the poem shows the father-son relationship he only fully understands when he is older. Gives him warmth and care as well.

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Those Winter Sundays Analysis

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

Those strained hands were able to create something to lighten— and warm— a chillingly dark situation. The first couple of stanzas explains just how vigorously the wind blows also showing the reality of just how cold it really gets. Another such poem is Theodore Roethke's" My Papa's Waltz" which looks carefully through the eyes of a young boy into the actions, of an abusive father. Postal Service which featured him in a pane of stamps which showed 10 Great Twentieth Century American Poets. The speaker as an adult seems to be realizing that people show love in different ways and he may be feeling guilty that he did not recognize his father's wintry Sunday morning habits as an act of love until now.

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"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden

analysis of the poem those winter sundays by robert hayden

If, in fact, the poem is autobiographical and the father to whom he refers is William Hayden, the poet does not condemn him for the beatings that, by his own admission, lead Hayden into periods of depression. Also, it can be seen how much his father selflessly did for his family and how this related to how his son felt about him. Who was Robert Hayden? Lesson Summary ''Those Winter Sundays'' by Robert Hayden is a poem where the speaker reflects back on his past and remembers that his father would always wake up early on Sundays to build fires that would warm the house while the rest of the family slept. The son in great fear of the anger of the house members would rise slowly and get dressed. The reader remembers dressings slowly, hesitant to go downstairs and face the anger-filled atmosphere of the house. No one ever thanked him. The song is all about how you really never know what you have until you no longer have it.


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