Those Winter Sundays Tone

Naturally humans reminisce on past experiences whether being a beautiful memory or a moment of regret. Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” dramatizes the conflict regarding self-remorse and complete oblivion. Hayden begins the poem describing the narrator’s fathers laborious Sunday routine, presumptively a daily routine established by the opening phrase “Sundays too my father got up early” (1). The poet creates this sonnet in a very simple structure, which flows so beautifully once the reader digs in deeper to find the understanding behind Hayden’s words. Although, the poem has no specific rhyme scheme, there are four stanzas and each of which conjure up contrasting emotions from the narrator which develop the moral of the poem. The authors selection of the title “Those Winter Sundays” is suitable to the poem in many ways. For starters, the title proposes the poem is a remembrance, considering it includes the word “Those”. By the title containing the word “Those” it suggests the poem is based off of many similar Sundays throughout the speaker’s youth. In addition, the poet chose “Winter Sundays” alternatively to a …show more content…
The line “and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold” (2), is interesting due to the amount of imagery allowing the reader to feel as if they are in the room. The cold is being described in an identical style of a bruise, which helps with the reader get a better perception of the negative connotation throughout the poem. The following line “then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him” (3-5) this specific quote truly shows the narrators guilt and regret of under appreciation toward his father. Hayden’s use of great detail describing the speaker’s father’s hands, develops a realization for the reader of the sacrifices made by the father every