Introduction
The work under consideration, “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, is a highly acclaimed and poignant short poem about the relationship with his father. The author conveys the depth and complexity of his perception and shares it with the reader through symbolism, imagery, and enjambment from a narrative point of view. This work can be considered a powerful exploration of the ambiguous and complex relationship between son and father and demonstrates an understatement or late realization of actual concern with outward coldness.
The Use of Literary Elements and Techniques
One of the primary elements is undoubtedly imagery: vivid and feeling-rich descriptions paint a picture in the reader’s imagination of the author’s childhood home, the bitter winter cold, and the father’s dedication to his family. Even on Sunday, the father would get up early and, despite “hands that ached from labor on the weekday,” would start a fire to warm the household (Hayden, 2023). The severity further emphasizes the father’s seriousness and abruptness, and the house’s gloomy atmosphere is highlighted by attributing chronic anger to him.
Likewise, Symbolism strongly emphasizes the emotional distance between the narrator and the father. The concepts of “blueback cold” and “cracked hands” shade the coldness in the relationship with the father’s exasperation and potential alienation due to his excessive efforts to provide for the family (Hayden, 2023). The physical and emotional distance is matched by the care shown in the heating and shined shoes. The work sparkles with regret for the lack of understanding of the father’s sacrifice and love, unnoticed at the time of the reminiscence.
The lines flow into one another without pause, creating a sense of continuity, dimensionality, and underlying tension. This approach may indicate the permanence of the relationship with the father during the period described, and the choice of a first-person point of view reinforces this. Formality and dullness are evident in the winter days, even Sundays, emphasizing the routine but leaving room for the nature of the father’s love.
Conclusion
In this way, Hayden’s poem does leave the reader with a sense of rowdiness and regret caused by the complexity of the relationship with the father and the misunderstanding of his sacrifice, and the author uses symbolism, imagery, enjambment, and narrativity to accomplish this. The depth of emotion in the family ties is felt in the work despite its brevity. Using literary techniques can also heighten the reader’s interest and delve into thinking about the complexity of the nature of human relationships.
Reference
Hayden, R. (2023). Those winter Sundays. Poetry Foundation. Web.