My Papa's Waltz

In Robert Hayden’s poem “Those Winter Sundays” tells of an individual reminiscing about their father and the sacrifices he made to provide for them. In the poem, the father was not appreciated for his contribution but the narrator seems to now acknowledge the hard work of the father. As the poem progresses the tone of the narrator is one of regret and remorse. The relationship of the parent and child is often one of misunderstanding and conflict until the experiences life more and come in grasps of the parent’s intention. So, the relation between a parent and child evolves as the child emerges to adulthood.

Although Robert Hayden and Sylvia Plath both use vivid imagery to display their fathers, the way the authors use imagery is different. In Plath’s “Daddy,” she uses imagery to paint a dark picture of a Nazi who holds the title of her father. She uses imagery to compare her father to a black, confining shoe. She compares herself to a foot that has been living in the shoe for thirty years (Plath 290). The shoe metaphor represents her confinement under her father’s rule, but she is finally free. Because freedom from confinement is one of the main themes for “Daddy,” Plath’s use of imagery contributes to the theme of the poem. Conversely, Robert Hayden uses imagery in “Those Winter Sundays” to display his father’s work ethic. He uses works like, “cracked hands,” and “blueblack cold,” to show the conditions that his father went through because of his love for his children (Hayden 288). Hayden’s use of imagery helps to show the theme of “Those Winter Sundays,” regret for being unappreciative of a father’s love, by showing the obstacles that Hayden’s father went through for his son. The authors use of imagery helps display the overall themes of the poems by demonstrating their fathers’ character.

Those Winter Sundays In “Those Winter Sundays”, Robert Hayden introduces us to the theme of love unlike in any other poems. The theme of love in this poem is different from any other contemporary love themes because here, Hayden doesn’t talk about the amorously affectionate emotion between young lovers like Romeo and Juliet, but the deep familial love between a parent and a child. This kind of love is not pretentious. Their love is not exhibited by kisses or hugs; while it may go unnoticed it is always in existence. Hayden showcases the love between the parent and a child as the most selfless and strongest love of them all. Hayden defines an unspoken love and offers us a glimpse into an ordinary father-child relationship by the use of literary elements such as sound, point of view of the speaker and imagery with vivid description that includes details that appeal to the senses.

The role a father plays in the development of his child leaves an impact on the kid forever. On the contrary, the poor representation of a father can leave his own seed feeling distasteful from his own childhood. In the poems "Those Winter Sundays" written by Robert Hayden, and "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, their lies a difference in both patriarchs that is as vast as light and dark. The writers tell their stories in a retrospective form. At any rate, both poems do share a dad that is at least present in their kids' lives, however, it is important to note that in "Those Winter Sundays," the father is a hard-working man that is unappreciated from his child, while in "My Papa's Waltz," the father is abusive to his kid and

“Those Winter Sundays” written by Robert Hayden, depicts the ungratefulness that a young boy has towards his hardworking father. Later in the poem, as he matures, he begins to realize everything his father has done for him, and his feelings suddenly change. Throughout the poem, Hayden uses numerous examples of imagery, personification, and foreshadowing to show how the speaker’s attitude regarding his father transforms from the perspective of a child to the perspective of an adult.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke sparks differing opinions within the minds of many. Roethke was influenced greatly by his experiences as a young boy. For instance, his uncle and father both died when he was the age of fourteen. “My Papa’s Waltz” is written in remembrance

An ideal father should be someone who nurtures and lovingly cares for his offspring, and some kids are blessed by this opportunity growing up to spend time with their father, even if their parents are divorced. As the years go by our fathers grow older and we too grow old.

Those Winter Sundays "Those Winter Sundays" is a very touching poem. It is written by Robert Hayden who has written many other poems. This paper will talk about the poem "Those Winter Sundays". In particular we will look at the structure, main idea, and each stanza of the poem.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden are the poems that talk about the relation between son and father. Both speakers in the poem are grown men and reflect memories of the day they spend with their father when they were in childhood. About

Richard Koch Literature and Culture 5/6/13 Research Paper My Papa’s Waltz Vs. Those Winter Nights In “My Papa’s Waltz” by Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Hayden, the two narrators speak about their fathers in a way that shows there were two different sides to their fathers. One side was abusive and strict, while the other side was loving and caring. Each narrator has a different attitude toward their feelings for their fathers. Roethke has a more fun and understanding view of his father, while Hayden has a more cold and uncaring attitude toward his father. Both Hayden and Roethke talk about their father’s character flaws in their poems. Even though there are flaws in their fathers, both the narrators learn to over see

Poets and Their Fathers “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, “My Father as a Guitar” by Martin Espada, and “Digging” by Seamus Heaney are three poems that look into the past of the authors and dig up memories of the authors fathers. The poems contain similar conflicts, settings, and themes that are essential in helping the reader understand the heartfelt feelings the authors have for their fathers. With the authors of the three poems all living the gust of their life in the 1900’s, their biographical will be similar and easier to connect with each other.

Love from a Father Everyone has a father. No matter if the father is present in a child’s life or not, he still exists and takes that role. A father has a major impact on his child whether he knows it or not, and that impact and example shapes the child’s

"Those Winter Sundays" Robert Hayden's, "Those Winter Sundays", is a poem of a son's regret over his inability to honor and appreciate his father during the course of his upbringing. It uses one event to describe a father and son's entire relationship. Actually, "Those Winter Sundays" is a poem written for Robert Hayden's father. Although at first the poem does not seem to be a great tribute to his father, Hayden's admiration and love for his father breaks through the lines.

In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, the speaker is reflecting on his past with his father, but mainly the Sunday mornings he experienced during his childhood. Throughout the poem, there also happens to be a very dark and possibly even somber tone, which is shown by using several different types of literary devices. Hayden utilizes strong imagery supported by diction and substantial symbolism comprehensively. Furthermore, there are various examples of both alliteration and assonances. The poem does not rhyme and its meter has little to no order. Although the father labors diligently all day long, and he still manages to be a caring person in his son’s life. The poem’s main conflict comes from the son not realizing how good his father actually was to him until he was much older. When the speaker was a young boy, he regarded his father as a callous man due to his stern attitude and apparent lack of proper affection towards him. Now that the son is older, he discovers that even though his father did not express his love in words, he consistently did with his acts of kindness and selflessness.

Imagery Those winter Sundays illustrates an inspirational picture in the mind of the reader. A dedicated father who works each day to make his family comfortable, however they don 't value his acts of good will, nor did they give him any credit. Great use of imagery through out the poem really emphasized Hayden 's message. Hayden recollects memory of this specific Sunday morning. Using the word "too" suggests that the father rises early consistently, regardless of what day it is. He dresses in the severe cold. His hands have cracks as a result of the cold weather and the grueling work that he does each day. Hayden 's father lights the stoves and chimneys to warm the house up for his family. His striking words make me invoke thoughts in my mind of this persevering dad up alone wide open to the harsh elements. This was a great use of imagery. When he noted “cracked hands that ached”, this was used to indicate how hard working he was, as well as a symbol for all the agony and inconvenience he was willing to experience for his family. Hayden depicted sounds and in addition pictures in the same elucidating way when he wrote I awoke and heard the cold splintering, breaking. Possibly what Hayden heard was cracking noises that came from the fire or ice softening off of the windows. In any case, this decision of imagery is utilized to