Question

9) In Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” what does the reader learn about the father from the Speaker? Explain and support with evidence from the text.

Answer 1

Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" is a heart-touching short poem reflecting the apathy of the poet towards the hard work and the unconditional love of his father in the past when he was just a child. When going through the poem, a reader will learn that poet's father was a hardworking man who worked for the whole week and woke up early even on Sundays to light the woods and make the house warmer for the family. During the cold winter days, he would even polish the shoes of his kid. But for all his sacrifices and love, there was no proper gratitude or appreciation that he got from the family. Finally, in the last phrase of the poem, the poet uses the lines,"What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?" signifying an incredibly complex view of parental love which is harsh, unconditional and lonely.