Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden - Book Report/Review Example

These lines unveil complicated personal relations and emotional tension between the speaker and the world: the speaker is dissatisfied with the coldness and indifference of the world around him. Through the symbol of 'fire' Hayden depicts deep personal feelings and striving for personal identity. Since ancient times, "fire" was a symbol of home and warm family relations. The father is depicted as a keeper of family traditions and values. Also, Hayden uses such symbols as 'cracked hands' "the cold splintering", "the cold splintering" and "polished my good shoes" to depict the working-class position of the family and life troubles.

Hayden reminds readers that it is disappointing that the social issues that are generally identified as pertaining to deal with questions of individual choice that adds an emotional burden. The image of 'a cold Sunday morning' creates a feeling of isolation and poverty. The repetition device helps Hayden to underline hardship and grievances faced by the family. Hayden uses repetition of "banked," and "thanked'. Also, he uses repetition of the sound [k] in "clothes on in the blueback cold, then with cracked hands that ached" (Hayden).

Using the title "Those Winter Sundays', the author underlines that it was a usual day in the life of the family. Also, it creates a specific mood unveiling complicated family relations and grievances. In general, this poem shows that if the bond between the parent and the child is broken, negative consequences are very traumatic for the child. A hint that it is particular rather than universal fear comes more from the tone of the lines than from the mere fact of feeling uncomfortable, rather decidedly uncomfortable.

The author begins the poem with a mere description of the Sundays' morning but changes his position and leaves it to readers to decide his feelings and emotions. "What did I know of love's austere and lonely offices" (Hayden). This stylistic device dramatizes the poem and unveils the true feelings of the father and his son. The poem means that many children do not understand the love and care of their parents, but rethink and reinterpret their family relations.