Imagery In Those Winter Sundays

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Robert Hayden’s view of his father is intriguing in his poem “Those Winter Sundays.” The poem is told from the perspective of a man looking back at his childhood and his relationship between his father and himself. I relate to this poem immensely because it discusses the relationship between a father and a son. The overall theme of love is present through the father’s continuous sacrifices for his family. Hayden uses imagery and diction to further emphasize his portrayal of his father. The imagery Hayden uses in this poem is an aid to entice the reader in the first few lines. Hayden’s description through imagery is so exact I can literally visualize the events occurring. He utilizes imagery to emphasize the father’s sacrifices by stating …show more content…

Instantly I see an uncommon word in line 2 when he says “puts his clothes on in the blueblack cold.” This word is not an everyday term people use, so it is intriguing that Hayden uses the word blueblack to express to the reader the hour his father rose to warm up the house for his family. This unique word choice immediately draws me in and provokes my thoughts about the type of man his father is. When Hayden stated,” No one ever thanked him” in line 5, he gives the reader insight into the mindset of his father. He continuously does more than required for the sake of his family and to help make their lives easier. Hayden refers in line 6 to him hearing: “the cold splintering, breaking.” This diction indicates to the reader that the house is transitioning into a warm and speaks toward the fire mentioned in the line before. In line 9, he gives me awareness of why he does not appreciate his father’s actions as a child. He states he wakes “fearing the chronic angers of that house.” Hayden uses chronic anger to show the reader that this is a continuous anger his father possesses. The anger his father has accumulates from his harsh labor he performs during the week, and no one ever thanking him most likely intensifies this anger. Hayden also mentions in line 10 that he speaks “…indifferently…” to his father. This shows me he has no feelings towards his father as a child. Regardless of all the various loving actions his

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