Those Winter Sundays Blog Post-Robert Hayden

Those Winter Sundays-Robert Hayden

• Was the author from a female or male standpoint?
• What does "love's austere and lonely offices" mean for the author? Does it have any significant meaning or underlining symbolism? 
• Is the author trying to create a more regretful or hopeful tone in the passage?
• What was the father's determination to provide the best for his children?

Personally, this poem was one of the easier poems to understand, and even though I had some questions, I could grasp the author's main points throughout the reading.  During the first couple of lines, I felt a kind of determination for the father and how he always wanted the best for his children.  Maybe a tragedy occurred such as the loss of a loved one or family member... I loved the great detail and picture this author put into his poem because it helped me to imagine if I was there myself.  Although the author finds winter Sundays lonely, sad, and full of regrets, I find them very peaceful, relaxing, warm... watching the snow fall while drinking a nice, warm cup of hot chocolate while wrapped in a fuzy blanket as the cold winter breeze hits your blood boiling face.  SOUNDS LIKE PERFECTION TO ME!  As I described earlier, I felt a sense of loneliness from the author's character.  This could be from the fact that the author's father was never around because he was working hard to make end's meat for his family.  This could relate to why, later in the poem, the author is thankful for his father's hard working ways, when he or she stated "what did i know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices" (Hayden).  The speaker of the passage seems to coincide more of a young, lonely boy who grows up to see the reason behind his father's ways.  

Overall, this poem was a great selection to read, and I enjoyed reading and picturing the great detail put into Hayden's work.  Harsh, yet impactful words were used throughout the three stanzas and helps to create a significant meaning to the reader such as myself.  I would enjoy discussing this poem even more to discover what I failed to see about the poem while analyzing it.

After reflecting in class, I feel truly comfortable with the poem and feel like I truly know what the poem is about.  I can see the regret that the author has and see how the author now knows how much his father loved him.  Through his father's hard work, he saw his love for him and that was something he regrets that he didnt see earlier.