Figurative Language In Those Winter Sundays

Many people don’t recognize others’ expressions of love. For instance, children may not realize that simple actions made by their parents are their parents’ way of saying “I love you.” In the poem Those Winter Sundays, Robert Hayden describes an adult who regrets not appreciating his father as a child, and who now has a better understanding of the challenging and sometimes lonely responsibilities of a parent. The way in which Hayden describes the father’s and the narrator’s actions, his use of K and hard C words, and his portrayal of love in the last line of the poem illuminate Those Winter Sundays’ message that parents will do and sacrifice anything for their children out of love and, therefore, one should take time to appreciate them.

The

descriptions of the father’s and the speaker’s actions elucidate the idea that one of parents’ duties is to provide a better life for their children than they have, even if the children do not appreciate what their parents are doing at the time. In the first stanza, Hayden describes the father’s morning; the father “got up early” and “put his clothes on.” Then, later in the second stanza when describing the son’s morning, Hayden uses the words “rise” and “dress.” Although the father and son perform identical actions, the descriptions of those actions are completely different. While “got up early” and “put his clothes on” are common phrases people use daily, “rise” and “dress” sound more graceful and perhaps more educated. The difference in the description of the father’s morning versus the speaker’s morning allude to the idea that the son has a better or easier life than the father. In the third stanza, Hayden wrote, “Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes.” These lines give the reader insight in regards to the narrator’s perception of his father as a child and his perceptions now as an adult. Hayden allows one to infer the narrator’s feelings as a child towards his father by the way the narrator speaks to him – indifferently. The narrator did not think much of his father and did not acknowledge all that his father did for him. However, when reading the subsequent description of the father warming the house and polishing the shoes, a shift in tone is perceived. When speaking of the things the father did for the narrator’s wellbeing when he was a child, the narrator conveys gratitude. This change in outlook demonstrates that, although children may not appreciate how much parents really do for their kids, parents will continue to provide them with the best life possible. Both the difference in the descriptions of waking up and getting dressed and the difference in the narrator’s portrayed perceptions of his father strengthen Hayden’s message that parents will do anything for their children in any case.
Not only will parents do anything for their children, but they will sacrifice anything for them, too.

K and hard C words in the poem shed light on the father’s harsh life and the sacrifices he made. When describing the father in the first stanza, Hayden uses the words “cold,” “cracked,” “ached,” and “thanked.” All of these words have a K or hard C in them, giving them a seemingly coarse sound. This coarseness not only makes the words themselves seem harsh or abrasive but also the things that the words are describing. The father got up in the “blueblack cold,” had “cracked” hands that “ached,” and “no one ever thanked him;” the harshness of the words imply the harshness of the father’s difficult life. Another hard C word used is “chronic” in the second stanza, when describing the angers of the house. In addition to the hard C that indicates the father’s tough situation, the word itself means long-lasting in regards to a problem or an illness. Rather than using the word “chronic,” Hayden could have used “persistent” or “lingering;” however, this would not have given the reader the same sense of implication that the father had a struggling life which was perceived as a harsh disease by the narrator when he was young. By drawing attention to the difficult life of the father through the use of Ks and hard Cs, Hayden reinforces the idea that a parent will make sacrifices for his or her

child.
Although parents will do and sacrifice anything for their children, their children may not realize this.

The last line of the poem, “of love’s austere and lonely offices,” helps Hayden depict parents’ unconditional love for their children, even when their children do not understand their parents’ decisions. By giving love an office, Hayden is comparing love to a job. Those who are employed have no choice but to go to work and do their jobs and, in a similar manner, those who have kids have no choice in whether or not they love their children. Although doing a job or loving a child can be difficult at times, people continue to do so because it is their responsibility. Therefore, the word “offices” reinforces the idea that, although parenting can be challenging, a parent’s love is unconditional. Furthermore, not only does Hayden give love offices, but the offices are “austere and lonely.” By describing love as “austere,” or unadorned, Hayden reinforces the idea that children may not understand their parents’ decisions. For instance, if a parent refuses to let his or her child do something, the child may feel resentment; they do not understand that they’re parents are acting out of love. This resentment can lead to parents feeling that they are alone or unloved at times, which is depicted in the poem when Hayden describes the offices as “lonely.” By highlighting the narrator’s initial lack of gratitude for his father’s unconditional love, “of love’s austere and lonely offices”

supports the message that people should take time to appreciate those who love them.