“ Those Winter Sundays ” by Robert Hayden

1. “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden Inspired Poem & Commentary

2. “Those Winter Sundays”by Robert Hayden Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?

3. “Those Winter Sundays”by Robert Hayden Sundays too my father got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him. I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking. When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress, fearing the chronic angers of that house, Speaking indifferently to him, who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well. What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices? • Define: • chronic • indifferent • What is the difference between “alliteration” and “consonance”? • What is imagery? How does Hayden use imagery in this poem?

4. Directions for Poem • Similar to Robert Hayden’s poem, the subject of your poem should be someone very close to you. The purpose of your poem is to recognize what he/she has done for you out of love. • You should reference the sacrifices this person made and how you benefitted because of those sacrifices. • Use at least one of the following poetic techniques that we have studied in class: • alliteration • figurative language • line length • punctuation • repetition

5. Poetic Techniques alliteration • The repetition of the same or very similar consonant sounds in words that are close together. • Alliteration can establish a mood and emphasize words. • Simon sipped slowly on the sweet soft drink. • figurative language • Language that describes one thing in terms of something else and is not literally true. • Figures of speech always involve some sort of imaginative comparison between seemingly unlike things. • metaphor • A comparison between unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing. • Her father was a shelter in the middle of the storm of her childhood. • simile • A comparison between two unlike things using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles. • The boy had grown as big as a house. • personification • A special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman or no living thing or quality is talked about as if it were human or alive. • The wind whispered through the trees. • repetition • Repetition is repeating something – a word, a phrase, a stanza, a sound, a pattern. • Repetition helps give poetry its music. Poets also use repetition to emphasize important ideas, to create a mood, even to build suspense.

6. Poetic Techniques • hyperbole • Exaggeration for effect; not meant to be taken literally. • When the dog jumped out of the darkness, he scared her to death! • onomatopoeia • formation of a word by imitating the natural sound associated with the object or action involved • Stella gagged when she smelled the moldy food. • symbol • an object that represents an intangible concept • The soldier wore his badge of freedom on his sleeve.

7. Poetry or Prose: What’s the Difference? Prose (Written or spoken language in “ordinary” form.) Poetry Poetry is typically reserved for expressing something special in an artistic way. The language of poetry tends to be more expressive or decorated, with comparisons, rhyme, and rhythm contributing to a different sound and feel. Ideas are contained in lines that may or may not be sentences. Lines are arranged in stanzas. Poetry uses line breaks for various reasons – to follow a formatted rhythm or emphasize an idea. Lines can run extremely long or be as short as one word or letter. Traditionally, the first letter of every line is capitalized, but many modern poets choose not to follow this rule strictly. The shape of poetry can vary depending on line length and the intent of the poet. • Most everyday writing is in prose form. • The language of prose is typically straightforward without much decoration. • Ideas are contained in sentences that are arranged in paragraphs. • There are no line breaks. Sentences run to the right margin. • The first word of each sentence is capitalized. • Prose looks like large blocks of words.

8. Directions for Commentary Answer the following questions. The questions may be answered individually, or, even better, as part of one or two paragraphs. • Who is the subject of your poem? • Why did you decide to write a poem about this person. • Summarize your poem. Make sure that you include any background information that will enable your reader to better understand your poem. • Identify the poetic techniques you used in your poem and explain how their inclusion in your poem makes it more powerful.