The Poem Those Winter Sundays - Essay Example

Hayden's theme lies in a sort of moral message in that nobody ever bothered to thank the father for his sacrifices. It implies the speaker's casual attitude towards his father, who had warmed the house and polished his shoes, the child not realizing the extent of the father's assistance. To best categorize Those Winter Sunday’s theme, it might be intended for the reader to take notice of the people who care for you and to offer them love and gratefulness for their sacrifices, no matter how small they may be.

            Robert Hayden uses several literary techniques in this poem; one, in particular, that is most apparent is imagery. Hayden's descriptions of the father's "cracked hands that ached from labor…" and "I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking" give the reader a very clear mental view of both the father and the environment. The reader can almost hear the sound of logs being split by an ax (which is hard labor) and a picture

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of a man's weathered, probably calloused hands that were the result of heavy work. The imagery used in Those Winter Sundays leaves little doubt, for the reader, that the father is of the working class and used to performing difficult labor. It serves to feed the theme of the story, allowing the reader to feel pity for the father because he continues to perform his thankless work.

            The author also uses personification to make the story more powerful. When the speaker says, "I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic anger of that house", Hayden is essentially granting the house human qualities, suggesting a harsh, angry environment stressed from the winter cold. Possibly, personifying the house as being chronically angry suggests it is an old house that has withstood countless winters and that the early morning environment leaves the house feeling ominous. It is also possible, through personifying the house, that Hayden is attempting to enhance the love that his father brings by comparing love against a gloomy, angry environment.

            Those Winter Sundays manage to clearly define the love of a father for his child. In a very small amount of text, the speaker offers a bit of remorse (probably because by then his father had passed away) for not appreciating his father's sacrifices. Using personification and imagery clearly illustrate the environment, the hard-working father, and the indifference of a child when it comes to appreciating a parent's love. The speaker adds, "what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?" and in doing so shows his father's dedication to his son, despite the harsh reality of performing love's sacrifices without a single reward.