Love between Fathers and children - Essay Example

Love between Fathers and children “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden portrays a son’s interaction and a father. The poem has three verses with four lines long. The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke also has the same thematic structure. The narrator of the poem is portrayed as a son. The poem has four verses with four lines long. In addition, the poem also depicts the relationship between a father and their sibling. The two poems are based on showing the mandate and roles of fathers in the family setting.

However, there are differences and similarities shared by the presentation of the role of the father in the poems. The first similarity is that the two poems have the dad as the main subject. In “Those Winter Sundays”, the poet states that “Sundays too My Father got up early/ and put his clothes on in the blueback cold” (1, 2). This line introduces the theme of the poem. In the entire poem, the poet continues to depict the figure and their role in the family setting. “My Papa’s Waltz” was the poet also introduces the father figure, “…the whisky on your breath/could make a small boy dizzy…” (1, 2).

In this line, the narrator describes the habitual trait of their father. The same is emulated across the entire poem. The second similarity is that the two poems also depict the responsibility of the father in the family. In “My Papa’s Waltz” the poet asserts that, “we romped until the pans/ slid from the kitchen shelf” (4, 5). This line introduced the role of the dad depicted in the poem. In addition, the poem also displayed an exceptional responsibility of the father in the poem.

In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” the poet states that, “who had driven out the cold/and polished my good shoes as well” (11, 12). This line depicts the father’s responsibility in the family setting. In addition, the narrator appreciates and recognizes the efforts of their father. The major difference in the two poems is that the perception of the father figure is represented differently. In “My Papa’s, Waltz” the narrator is appreciative of the role of the father. The narrator states that, “…then waltzed me off to bed/ still clinging to your shirt…” (15, 16).

The narrator appreciated the efforts put by their father to make their night confortable. However¸ in “Those Winter Days”, the narrator is fearful of their father; fearing the chronic angers of that house. In the poem, the narrator describes their father as one to be feared for their personality. In addition, the narrator includes that his personality excluded from the normal family setting. The two poems share a great similarity based on the subject that their themes were based. In addition, the author had a similar objective of enlightening the audience on the perceptions by which fathers are held by in families.

However, the difference in the way the father figure is presented in the poems depicts various ways in which families embrace the role. Works CitedHayden, Robert. Those Winter Sundays. New York: Liveright Publishing Company. 1966. Print. Roethke, Theodore. My Papa’s Waltz. New York: Random House. 1942. Print.