"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden

                In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden a short story is told about what would seem a young boy who takes his father’s labors for granted. He speaks of his father waking up early on Sunday, just like every other day, to build a fire to warm the house so that the child, and presumably the rest of the family, does not have to get out of bed to a cold house.

“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.”

                This opening stanza has some very descriptive adjectives that really make you think about how rough a life his father has. Blueback cold makes you think of when you are outside too long in the winter and your hands start to change color from lack of heat and circulation. Cracked hands that ache from labor in the weekday weather makes you think of a man working outside, in a manual labor job, working in the rain, wind, snow and the abundance of other elements. Personally, it reminds me of a few of my great-uncles who spent much of their lives in and around the salty waters of the New York bays and Atlantic Ocean. Their hands are rough, hard, and callused; their hands seem to be made of some sort of tree bark with cracks where it needs to bend. The final line is almost like a bomb dropping: No one ever thanks him. The word “ever” really stands out in this line; it seems like when reading this poem the reader must put emphasis on this word. But the father is tough; this sort of thing does not bother him. He just goes about business as usual. I envy men like this. Tougher than the elements and not expecting anything in return for the numerous things that they do to make the world a little bit of a better place for the rest of us.

               

I believe that unfortunately enough it is entirely too common for children to take the toils of their parents for granted. A lot of the time, children do not think anything of the small things that their parents do for them, they are a given, something would be wrong if these things were not done for them. While it is true that parents do have a responsibility to their children I believe that this is oft overdone. When children are not just provided for but pampered is when the problem develops. A child will get the thought that well why isn’t someone doing this for me, why isn’t someone making sure that I am comfortable. It is a fine line that parents must walk between providing for their children and doting on them. Also, I think it would be good for parents to explain to their children what work goes into providing for them; explaining the hours at work, the type of work, the lack of rest, and the feeling that something always needs to be done.

               

When I was small I did in fact take many things that my parents did for me for granted. But now that I am older and a little bit wiser I would like to think that I am much more appreciative for what they have done for me and continue to do for me.