A Speakers Reflections

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A Speaker’s Reflections

Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” is a reflection the speaker has regarding his father. An analysis of the poem’s tone and language reveals the speaker regrets his father did so much for the family and “no one ever thanked him”. It is obvious the speaker feels regret for the way he behaved toward his father in the past by examining the phrases in the poem, particularly with the description of the father. The connotations of the language used in this description denote the father in a certain way that the speaker did not see him as before. The tone and feeling of regret or sorrow is evident in the poem not only through language and word choice on the literal surface, but also in the structure of the poem itself.

The poem indicates the father as hardworking by his description. The speaker reveals the father has “cracked hands that ached from labor” and that “Sundays too” he “got up early” to start a fire and warm the house. As if this gesture is not enough, “He’d call” to his family “when the rooms were warm” so they would not have to endure the “blueblack cold” of a winter morning. The poem also indicates the father doing other chores, such as polishing “my good shoes.” This description of the father is moving, it show he loves his family and is thoughtful enough to do the chores no one else would want to do. The word choice for this description is very interesting, howe...

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