A Literary Analysis Of Robert Hayden's 'Those Winter Sundays'
Shelby Whittle
April White
4th block
14 March 2017
Literary Analysis of Robert Hayden “Those Winter Sundays” Make decisions you won’t regret.The people that do the most for you often get overlooked and mistreated, and sometimes it is people you really love. Thank the people that do the most for you so later in life you won’t regret not thanking them. “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden expresses the regrets a child had after mistreating the father. The writer is always mentioning what all the father does for the child and the child’s family. The child’s father always woke up first and “with cracked hands that ached” went and made a fire so the child would be warm on “Those Winter Sundays.” Not only had the father “driven out the cold,” but he had also polished the child’s “good shoes.” The child never thanked the father, but instead the child spoke “indifferently” to him The figurative language Robert Hayden uses further expresses the regrets the child had after the child realized how horrible the father was treated. In every stanza of the
…show more content…
Without the sound devices in “Those Winter Sundays,” you would not understand what the father went through for his child. When the speaker uses the onomatopoeia “cracked” you can infer that the father is a hard working man and he works long hours to support his child. You could also infer that the splintering sound, is the sound the cold floor makes as the dad walks across it. The speaker used the word “blueback,” which is a alliteration, to describe the coldness of the house. The sound devices in this poem make you really understand what the father went through and what the child regrets. If you make a mistake you regret, go back and make it right before it is too late. In Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays,” expresses the importance of making decisions you won’t regret and also thank those that you
A Fatherless America Research Paper
1574 Words | 7 Pages“A generation ago, an American child could reasonably expect to grow up with his or her father (1). The culture of fatherhood in American has drastically changed since the 1950’s, with a decline of fathers involved in their children’s lives. This journal article questions the role of fatherhood, but also highlights the importance of fatherhood. It raises these questions: Is the role of a father beneficial for the child? Does a father’s physical or emotional absence have harmful effects, or no effect, on the development of the
My Father Calls Me Everyday Sunday Morning Analysis
366 Words | 2 PagesIn her poem “My Father Calls Me Every Sunday Morning,” Jan Heller Levi’s bitter wording contrasts with her tranquil images to evoke an ambivalent tone towards her father. This juxtaposition mirrors the conflict in Levi’s relationship with her stern father; there is genuine love in it, but also frustration over its price. Levi’s brewing aggravation regarding her father’s selfish nature is captured by her acrimonious choice of diction. While waiting for her father’s phone call, Levi’s opinion of her dad is made clear. She can feel him “punch”(8) the numbers into his phone, each note “Pulsing;/ through 200 miles of tense wire”(10-11) hurling towards her.
My Papa's Waltz Analysis Essay
1237 Words | 5 PagesAnalysis of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke Since the genesis of the traditional family unit, parents play an immutable and paramount role in the nurturing of their children and successive progenies. Universally, in most societies, it is widely acknowledged that the father is the figurehead of the family unit. However, the role of the father is not cogently defined, especially in the contemporary society, and may vary from one family to another. On the one hand, there are fathers that act as the temporal providers to their children till they grow to adulthood.
Comparing Poems My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
691 Words | 3 PagesEveryone has a father, whether their relationship with him is good or bad. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word father as follows: a man in relation to his natural child or children. “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden are two poems with themes set around a father. These poems deal with accounts of the poets’ fathers as they reminisce about certain scenes from their childhood. “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays” show similarities and differences in structure, literary elements, and central idea.
My Father's Lunch Poem
813 Words | 4 PagesFor different people, comparable situations do not always reproduce the same end results or leave the same impressions. Rather, the resulting conclusion is often highly variable. As is the case of two labors featured in the poems, My Father’s Lunch” and “The life of a Digger”. While Erica Funkhouser’s speaker, Henry, experiences injustice and lack of reward for his hard labor in “The Life of a Digger,” Margarita Engle’s speaker experiences prosperity and remuneration for their father’s hard work in “My Father’s Lunch.” Each author uses the setting of a laboring man’s lunch break to demonstrate the ramifications of a hard day’s work and the rewards or lack thereof for their efforts.
My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis
871 Words | 4 PagesThroughout “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays”, the author’s reflect on how their fathers were hard workers, although each memory is emotionally different. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Roethke remembers his father coming home from work and his hands “Was battered on one knuckle” (Line 10). Even though the father had a long day at work, the boy recounts him coming home and dancing with him. Whereas “Those Winter Sundays”, Hayden recalls his fathers hard work by describing his “Cracked hands that ached/
Poem Analysis Of 'A Story' By Li-Young Lee
793 Words | 4 PagesLastly, the two words the son and the man add to the complexity of the relationship. This shows that the man can’t picture himself being a father, especially after knowing he can’t meet the child’s expectation, but will always picture his son being a child in his eyes. In conclusion the author uses literary devices to add depth and emotion to the complex relationship between the two characters. He does this by changing the point of view throughout the poem from son to father. He uses a purposeful structure from present to future coming back to present to demonstrate with the complexity of the father's
My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
683 Words | 3 PagesEvery story consists of different elements, such as characters, plotlines, and settings. Nonetheless, many stories portray the same messages or ideas. “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, depicts a reckless father who is loved by his child, while “Those Winter Sundays,” by Robert Hayden, depicts a hardworking father whose child is indifferent to him. Though the poems depict exceptionally different childhoods, both contribute to the idea that perceptions of parents alter as one grows into adulthood. Both poems use harsh words and critical tones in order to convey this notion, however in “My Papa’s Waltz,” they signify the recklessness of the father and how the narrator perceives his father as an adult, while in “Those Winter Sundays,” they
Compare And Contrast Sylvia Plath And My Papa's Waltz
846 Words | 4 PagesComparing and contrasting Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, one finds the two poems are similar with their themes of abuse, yet contrasting with how the themes are portrayed. Furthermore, the speaker 's feelings toward their fathers’ in each poem contrast. One speaker was hurt by the father and the other speaker was indifferent about how he was treated by his father. The fathers’ feelings toward the children are also different despite how each treated the child. Both poems accurately portray the parent-child relationships within an abusive home, even if they have different
Literary Analysis Of Winter Dreams
921 Words | 4 PagesOver the last couple of days in class we have discussed F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Winter Dreams”. This short story explores several themes such as reality vs idealism and over expectations. These themes communicates through the use of various literary devices such as irony, symbolism, allegories and imagery. Through the use of these literary devices each character is brought to life and given its own type of personality. One quote that explores how the main character, Dexter, is given a unique personality states “The helpless ecstasy of losing himself in her charm was a powerful opiate rather than a tonic”.
Literary Analysis Of Winter Dreams
1560 Words | 7 Pages“Winter Dreams” was published in 1926. Francis Scott Fitzgerald is most well-known for his novel “The Great Gatsby”. A common theme he is known for is the American dream and how it is corrupt. Fitzgerald enjoys writing about the poor boy chasing after the rich girl. This story is about a man named Dexter Green trying to achieve the American dream by obtaining the girl he adores.
Figurative Language In My Papa's Waltz
588 Words | 3 PagesHe does this to not bombard the reader with a dark abusive poem. This can be seen by the metaphorical style of writing he has incorporated in his poem. For instance, the poet chooses a dance instead of outright saying it was an abusive encounter. Additionally, it shows the love the speaker has for the father. Instead of degrading the father he makes him more human to the reader by adding descriptive words.
Robert Hayden's Poem 'Those Winter Sundays'
732 Words | 3 PagesWhen originally reading this poem, I didn’t know what was meant by “lonely offices”, and didn’t know whether or not it was implying some form of dying business or unemployment office. While we were glossing over the poem in class, we had discussed that Hayden grew up during the time of the “Roaring ‘20s”, and that finally made sense to me with my original thought. After the “Roaring ‘20s” came the Great Depression and, to me, it seems as if Those Winter Sundays takes place right at the very end of the “Roaring ‘20s”, and just at the very mere beginning of the Great Depression. To me, it seems understandable as to why the home environment that is being described is so harsh, and that’s because more work has the tendency to create hardships, especially during financial hard times when one is focused on the idea that all of the time spent working will benefit in the long run. I think it’s safe to say that everyone faces hard times at some point in their lives, and Robert Hayden really exemplified the dread, anxiousness, and fear that one faces when experiencing such a
Those Winter Sundays Analysis Essay
784 Words | 4 PagesIn conclusion, “Those Winter Sundays” uses imagery, diction, an emotional appeal to grasp the reader's attention. The last line of the poem reiterates the child regrets of not showing his father appreciation “what did I know, what did I know” What did I know is repeated to twice to show
Character Analysis: The Prodigal Son
1259 Words | 6 PagesHis idiosyncrasy remains loving and understanding, even when his younger son returned home after many of been away with not a penny to his name. The young son showed disobedience to all the goodness his father had offered to him. The young son showed traits such as selfishness as well as being ungrateful. He had no worth for his father’s property nor did he want to work alongside his father on the family farm.
More about A Literary Analysis Of Robert Hayden's 'Those Winter Sundays'
A Fatherless America Research Paper
1574 Words | 7 PagesMy Father Calls Me Everyday Sunday Morning Analysis
366 Words | 2 PagesMy Papa's Waltz Analysis Essay
1237 Words | 5 PagesComparing Poems My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
691 Words | 3 PagesMy Father's Lunch Poem
813 Words | 4 PagesMy Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis
871 Words | 4 PagesPoem Analysis Of 'A Story' By Li-Young Lee
793 Words | 4 PagesMy Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
683 Words | 3 PagesCompare And Contrast Sylvia Plath And My Papa's Waltz
846 Words | 4 PagesLiterary Analysis Of Winter Dreams
921 Words | 4 PagesLiterary Analysis Of Winter Dreams
1560 Words | 7 PagesFigurative Language In My Papa's Waltz
588 Words | 3 PagesRobert Hayden's Poem 'Those Winter Sundays'
732 Words | 3 PagesThose Winter Sundays Analysis Essay
784 Words | 4 PagesCharacter Analysis: The Prodigal Son
1259 Words | 6 Pages