“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke are poems that similarly focus on the relationship between a father and his son. The speaker in Hayden’s piece recalls his father’s detached presence throughout his childhood. He distinctly remembers the rugged appearance that reflected his father’s grueling job which he committed himself to just to support his family. Without acknowledgement, his exhausted father would wake early on a winter’s Sunday to start the furnace and polish the speaker’s church shoes. Still, a silent distance existed between them as a lingering tension consumed their home, ridding it of any apparent warmth or affection. However, what the speaker failed to realize until his own coming …show more content…
Hayden’s poem exemplified a tough love that seemed cold and, therefore, wasn’t initially understood or respected by his son. His use of consonance gave readers a deeper understanding of the father’s parenting as the repetition of a hard “c” constructed the image of his father’s sacrificial character. Each harsh sound uttered, echoed the pain and hardship his father underwent and never voiced himself. This effective application of sound allows readers to feel the ache the speaker’s father experienced. Additionally, once pronounced, the “c” almost mimics the crackling of a fire and, in turn, can be interpreted as a hidden symbol of the father’s indirect warmth and love towards his son. However, the consonance in Roethke’s piece hints at the young boy’s father’s selfish and destructive nature. The sound of the words “buckle” and “knuckle” establish a masculine and forceful paternal behavior directed at his innocent son. As the readers voice the “th” sound when saying the words “breath” and “death,” it’s as if they are gasping for air much like his son is desperately trying to attain any sign of affection. As the literary element of consonance is utilized to portray the interaction between a father and his son, one can see how an upfront unrequited love often sparks more emotion in an individual than a stern love that manifests itself through one’s actions. While the young boy lovingly refuses to give up on his unfit father, the speaker in Hayden’s poem is only now remorseful of his dismissive attitude towards the covert form of affection his father once gave
In the book “The Boys of Winter” by Wayne Coffey, shows the struggle of picking the twenty men to go to Lake Placid to play in the 1980 Olympics and compete for the gold medal. Throughout this book Wayne Coffey talks about three many points. The draft and training, the importance of the semi-final game, and the celebration of the gold medal by the support the team got when they got home.
A Cold Day in Paradise is a book that was written by Steve Hamilton and takes place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The name of the book is very significant to the meaning of the book. The cold day represents the metal bullet that is in Alex McKnight’s chest and on cold nights, it is a reminder of a traumatic event that took place. While Paradise is the place that he lives and where the last death took place and it was also on a cold windy night.
While most of us think back to memories of our childhood and our relationships with our parents, we all have what he would call defining moments in our views of motherhood or fatherhood. It is clearly evident that both Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden have much to say about the roles of fathers in their two poems as well. While the relationships with their fathers differ somewhat, both men are thinking back to a defining moment in their childhood and remembering it with a poem. "My Papa's Waltz" and "Those Winter Sundays" both give the reader a snapshot view of one defining moment in their childhood, and these moments speak about the way these children view their fathers. Told now years later, they understand even more about these moments.
The poem is written in the father’s point of view; this gives insight of the father’s character and
The lack of verbal communication between his father and himself can be seen in his poem "Those Winter Sundays." The overall impression of the poem is that love can be communicated in other ways than through words; it can be communicated through everyday, mundane actions. For example, in the poem, the father awakens on "Sundays too" to warm the house with a fire and polish his sons shoes. There is a sense of coldness in the beginning of the poem through the lines:
“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, “My Father as a Guitar” by Martin Espada, and “Digging” by Seamus Heaney are three poems that look into the past of the authors and dig up memories of the authors fathers. The poems contain similar conflicts, settings, and themes that are essential in helping the reader understand the heartfelt feelings the authors have for their fathers. With the authors of the three poems all living the gust of their life in the 1900’s, their biographical will be similar and easier to connect with each other.
His ungratefulness as a child has now emerged on him, leaving the speaker ashamed of taking his father’s hard work for granted. In this poem he writes, “…fearing the chronic angers of that house//Speaking indifferently to him/who had driven out the cold…” (Hayden, 17). When he quotes “fearing chronic angers”, the speaker refers to his view of life as a child, and how he interpreted his father’s agony and self-sacrifice as anger towards him. With an apathetic and cold attitude that accompanied his youth, he did not recognize the love that his father had for him. Hayden also writes, “What did I know, What did I know…” (Hayden 17). Repeating this rhetorical question twice it is obvious that the speaker, now as an adult, feels deep remorse over the way he had treated his father. With a matured mind, Hayden came to the realization that love comes in all shapes and forms, and his father’s love was shown through his selfless
Family bonds are very important which can determine the ability for a family to get along. They can be between a mother and son, a father and son, or even a whole entire family itself. To some people anything can happen between them and their family relationship and they will get over it, but to others they may hold resentment. Throughout the poems Those Winter Sundays, My Papa’s Waltz, and The Ballad of Birmingham family bonds are tested greatly. In Those Winter Sundays the relationship being shown is between the father and son, with the way the son treats his father. My Papa’s Waltz shows the relationship between a father and son as well, but the son is being beaten by his father. In The Ballad of Birmingham the relationship shown is between
A father can play many roles throughout a child’s life: a caregiver, friend, supporter, coach, protector, provider, companion, and so much more. In many situations, a father takes part in a very active position when it comes to being a positive role model who contributes to the overall well-being of the child. Such is the case for the father in the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. In this poem, readers are shown the discreet ways in which a father can love his child. On the other hand, there are also many unfortunate situations where the fathers of children are absent, or fail to treat the children with the love and respect that they undoubtedly deserve. In the contrasting poem “Like Riding a Bicycle” by George Bilgere, readers are shown how a son who was mistreated by his drunken father is affected by their past relationship many years later. Although both of these poems have fairly similar themes and literary techniques, they each focus on contradicting situations based on the various roles a father can play in a child’s life.
In Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” show that children have a hard time understanding why a parent is distant the speaker says “Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on/ in the blueblack cold,”(Line 1-2) the father even gets up very early on Sundays as in the “blueblack cold” the speaker seems to not understand why the father does this why does he get up so early day after day? He seems to ask himself. The speaker observes that “ …With cracked hands the ached from labor in the weekday weather/ banked fires blazed”(Line 3-5) the father works hard for his family his hands are cracked and sore and he still gets up earlier then the rest of his family and makes the fire blaze to warm the house for them.
The speakers in “My Papa’s Waltz” and Those Winter Sundays” talks about the relationship between their fathers. The different is that “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem that speaks directly to the father, but “Those Winter Sundays” specks about the father. Both Theodore Roethke the writer of “My Papa’s Waltz” and Robert Hayden writer of “Those Winter Sundays”, are two semi-similar poems about the respected of the fathers. The father is not just the man that gave him life, but a person that spends time taking care of them. By doing this, he gains the love and respect of the writers. Both speakers of each poem talks about their admiration of their father for their actions that they did for them; although, they both understand they were not perfect.
In the late nineteen forties, Theodore Roethke emerged with a poem that has been the source of much debate. "My Papa's Waltz," is an account of a relationship between son and father. Alas, many readers who are exposed to this piece fail to note the love present in the connection of the characters. In an attempt to illuminate the author's true intention several factors must be examined. After several examinations of Roethke's poem as well as learning of his childhood it is evident that this poem does not suggest an abusive environment, but is an appreciative account of the love and playfulness between the characters. Therefore, a successful interpretation of this poem will look beyond the four stanzas and study not only the history of the writing, but the life of the poet.
Many writers use powerful words to portray powerful messages. Whether a writer’s choice of diction is cheerful, bitter, or in Robert Hayden’s case in his poem “Those Winter Sundays,” dismal and painful, it is the diction that formulates the tone of the piece. It is the diction which Hayden so properly places that allows us to read the poem and picture the cold tension of his foster home, and envision the barren home where his poem’s inspiration comes from. Hayden’s tumultuous childhood, along with the unorthodox relationships with his biological parents and foster parents help him to create the strong diction that permeates the dismal tone of “Those Winter Sundays.” Hayden’s ability to both overcome his tribulations and generate enough courage
This ballad shows a sentiment disjointedness incredibly well, since it contemplates and separate the measure of his father respected him and how he didn't comprehend it's something he disparaged. This poem might be a slight bit uneven, adhering on to the father's side since this song was possibly made to express fault and regret. The outlook of the story is about how the storyteller regretted being so unappreciative toward his father. It positively shows how he feared his father and respected him now that he comprehends what he once had, his father's valuing and minding. Regardless, starting right now of the poem, it's demonstrating that his father left nearby all the not entirely obvious points of interest he'd once finish for the storyteller.
Ingratitude is a theme shown in the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden through imagery and the tone of the author. The speaker in the poem, a now older man, is looking back at his early life and realizing that he did not have gratitude towards what his father did for him and his family. Throughout the poem, a son feels sorry that he did not give more thanks to his father, which you can see through vivid imagery. When the son states “When the rooms were warm, he’d call, / and slowly I would rise and dress,” in your mind you can see those actions (2.2-3).