For the most part people fail to notice all of the things one person does for another. They do not appreciate, all the hard work a certain person will go through just to make the other person happy. “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden portray a hard working father on a day of relaxation. Sundays are usually referred to a day of rest before having to go back to work the next morning. Some people don’t get those times where they could just relax, there is always something to do. These people that are always working are trying to better other people, in the case of the speaker, his father is waking up early just to chop wood to warm their house up and keep them warm.
In the Winter, houses can be very chilly, in the past the only way to warm up houses that didn't have heaters was with a fireplace. The only way to get the fireplace to light was to add in wood, and you would get that wood from chopping down trees, this is not an easy task. Someone strong has to be able to do it. In the case of the speaker of this poem, who seems to be a young weaker boy, his father wakes up much earlier than the rest of the household. The father sacrifices his rest for his family. Yet, he does not get recognition for this, his family just wakes up to a warm roaring fire, not even thinking about how the fire came to be.
We are already told that during the weekend this father does so much work that his hands have cracked. They ached, just from that we know he is a hard worker. He probably has to work day and night to get enough money to take care of his family. He still gets up on the cold sundays, and goes outside to chop wood for the fireplace. The child stays in bed while he listens to his fathers labor, he doesn't go to check on him, see maybe he needs help, no he just waits. This furates me! I believe I am one of these people that does a lot of work for her friends and family. Sometimes I’d appreciate if they would just notice and say “Samantha, thank you for all you’ve done for me!” That would be the best day of my life.
The best part of this poem is the last line “What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?” I believe this is the speaker looking back at how his father used to do all these things for him. He must be realizing now, maybe he himself is a father now, looking back at all the work his own father did that now he has to do. Whats good about a relationship between a child and parent is that the deeds can be repaid. When the child grows older, than they will be able to take care of the parents. I cant wait for the day that I am able to support both my parents, because they have supported me my whole life.
This poem made me realize that in my family we need to say we appreciate each other more. I feel the need to stop typing now and go into my parents room to tell them I appreciate them. I know them to well they’ll probably think I want something from them. Its very hard to be a teenager in this household. When it comes to my friends, I have sllowly found myself doing less and less for them. I feel they don’t realize what I do for them, I try to help them whenever I can. I show my own appreciation of them almost every day. Though I feel that is slowly dwindling, its quite sad that I once saw them as people that actually deserved all my help, when I find they don’t do much for me.
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