"Those Winter Sundays"

"Those Winter Sundays"
Robert Hayden

The images in the poem present a sense of darkness. Images such as "the blueblack cold" and "cracked hands that ached" are just two of the darkening images. These images allow for the poem to create a dark and solemn picture. Due to the dark sense of the poem, I inferred that the poem was about a boy who had not realized how much he cared about his father and this led to a sense of regret. The father's love may not have been shown in a bright or vibrant fashion, but he still showed love for his family. Love can be shown in many forms and the father's way of showing his love was by doing his best to provide the family with warmth (literally) in a cold environment.

The speaker is viewing the matter in the present and looking back on what had happened. Within this interval, the speaker had a change of heart. The house was not a welcoming home, and before he did not realize his father's intentions. However, now he feels bad for not being closer to his father.

The final phrase of the poem, "What did I know, what did I know/ of love's austere and lonely offices?" I think shows the speaker's change of heart. He did not realize before that love could still be present in a state that was so dark. Love was still present in the speaker's father despite the stern nature of the father.