The persona of the poem “Those Winter Sundays” is likely the author, Robert Hayden, who is writing about a memory he has from a young age. This age can be estimated by looking closely at the clues found within the poem. In the third stanza he states that his father polishes his shoes so it is determined that he is young enough to not be responsible for simple tasks but still old enough to understand his father’s hard work and realize that no one showed gratitude. After evaluating these hints, it is likely that the boy is between ages five and ten. The only other mentioned character is the boy’s father, a hardworking man who most likely has a temper. He wakes up early every morning, even on Sundays, during the freezing cold of winter to warm
