Poem analysis week 3 assignment

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden is a short poem about a son who describes his not desirable living conditions. The author makes a number of statements that reveals to the readers the poor circumstances of him and his family. Throughout this short poem, the author portrays the idea of his family being destitute, the ascetic characteristic of his father and the general contempt that his father is shown in the midst of his hard work in order to provide the basic necessities of life for him and his household.

In this short poem Hayden uses graphic imagery to suggest the dedicated nature of his father. As stated by the author "Sundays too my father got up early" (Hayden 1) the authors diction illustrates the idea that his father never took a day off of work, and that idea is reinforced  in the statement "then with cracked hands that ached from the labor in the weekday weather made" (Hayden 3, 4) where the author describes the toll that the harsh weather combined with intense labor throughout the week has taken on the physical condition of his father.

I find myself appreciating the dedication and the work ethic of his father, as we notice that he works everyday of the week to keep his family warm. He seems to be illustrated as having a strong sense of responsibility from the lines previously quoted as well as "I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking." By time the author awakens, the father is already hard at work getting the wood split and the fire "blazing" in order to drive out the cold. The author seems to be making his dad out to be a hero when he stated "him, who had driven out the cold, and polished my shoes as well." (Hayden 10, 11, 12). In "Those winter Sundays" Robert Hayden emphasizes these mentioned idea, and makes him out to be an appreciated father, but combines the idea of indifference towards him.

I have to question, why is it that the father is shown such indifference? The author tells us that his father arose early, even on Sunday (Hayden 1) and worked hard to the point of physical deterioration (Hayden 3). Yet, the family never thanks him for the effort that he puts forth on a daily basis for their benefit (Hayden 5). Stating "Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold" (Hayden 10, 11). Could this be due to what Hayden spoke of when he stated "fearing the chronic angers of that house?" (Hayden 9). I notice the authors diction here when he refers to his residence "that house" as opposed to "our home" or "our house" leaves the impression that the author is not content.

Hayden stated "What did I know, what did I know of loves austere and lonely offices?" (Hayden 13,14) which gives the readers the idea of a tragic family life, suggesting he doesn't have a "close knit" family like he would like to have. This statement leaves the impression that he and his family live a day to day ritualistic lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle where genuine compassion, love and gratitude are out of site.

In "Those winter Sundays" Robert Hayden paints a mental image of a bitterly cold Sunday morning in the cold of winter in which his father, who genuinely cares for his family and holds his own interest second, is shown contempt, with the idea of appreciation for all that his father did for them on those bitterly cold winter Sundays. The author leads his readers to understand that your work can be appreciated and yet, not shown, almost giving the sense of regret that he did not show more appreciation for his father which makes "Those Winter Sundays" a poem that is full of insight and self evaluation.