Those Winter Sundays
The Use of Imagery in "Those Winter Sundays" Parents often have the desire to give to their children no matter how much pain it brings to themselves. In Robert Hayden's poem "Those Winter Sundays," the father does whatever is necessary to make his family comfortable. In the early morning he awakens to a cold house and rises to prepare a fire that will warm the house for the rest of the family. As the son grows older and matures, he realizes that he should have praised his father for the many sacrifices he has made in the past. Hayden uses imagery throughout the poem to enable the reader to sense the devotion of the father and the ungratefulness of the son. In the early stages of the poem, Hayden creates the image of a caring, devoted father. The typical stereotype of a father is that of a man who is willing to work for his family. In the poem Hayden creates the same image by saying, "Sundays too my father got up early / and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold" (ll. 11-12). The father cares so immensely for his family that he sacrifices his own comfort for them. Hayden mentions that he rises in the "blueblack cold" to emphasize that the sun has not even begun to rise. The speaker further characterizes the father b
The father works every day in the harsh weather causing himself physical pain. Hayden ends his poem by saying, "What did I know, what did I know / of love's austere and lonely offices?" (ll. Just as Hayden uses images to convey the character of the father, he also creates an astonishing image of the son's personality. The images of the son convey the idea that he is ungrateful. Symbolically, this line suggests that the father's love has warmed the rooms for his family. This shows his selfishness by pointing out his reluctance to get out of bed even though the house is warm - due to his father's efforts. Again, the father shows his love for his family. The reader is able to identify this pain only through the poet's effective use of imagery. Hayden reveals the theme of the poem - lack of communication can often cause the most valuable parts of life to be overlooked - by leading the reader to realize the speaker's pain. Only when it is too late does he realize that his father was showing his love by sacrificing things for his family.
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