In Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sunday’s” he gives us a poem about memory, recalling actions of his father who each Sunday would wake up early and make a fire for them and shine his shoes. He added,
“No one ever thanked him”
He uses a reflective tone, and is very aware and greatful of the sacrifice that his hard father (parent figure) has made for him. He started to realize in his later years that his father went unnoticed and unappreciated and he’s dedicating this poem to his father. This poem brings up loneliness, that his father was alone while doing these kind acts, parental duty that the father has to his family, how time heals unnoticed feelings,
“What did I know, what did I know”
Fathers and mother as well do things not asking for anything in return, which is what the father has done. Hayden uses the word “did” because he’s using a reflective tone acknowledging the past that he was young and naïve. Work and family plays a huge part in this poem as well, because most fathers and mothers would do anything for there family\son or daughters.
In Stanley Kunitz’s “A Portrait” we are introduced to a mother that is hurt, distressed, sad and embarrassed about the passing of her early husband.
“My mother never forgave my father
for killing himself,
especially at such an awkward time
and in a public park,…”
Taking this in a literal and figurative way, we see later on in the poem that the father killed himself before the son was born, and he never got a chance to meet him. The poem carries itself in a way that appears as the father killed himself because of the son being born and the father not wanting anything to do with the son, but it’s not for sure.
“…when I was waiting to be born.”
Kunitz gives us a poem full of confusion, pain and sorrow. Instead of the mom facing her fears she decided to cope another way by taking her anger out on her son that didn’t know any better, or did he? He thinks of his father as a heroic figure as most children do and wanted an explanation on why he isn’t around anymore, or where he went. When the mother slaps him hard he could still feel it many years later burning on his check.
“she ripped it into shreds
without a single word
and slapped me hard
In my sixty-fourth year
I can feel my cheek
still burning.”
Though this sounds as if it’s a terrible thing done to the son (because it is) it’s imoorstnt to also think about how they mother was feeling during this interaction. It’s doesn’t justify it, ut it shows the audience that the passing of her ex husband hurts her as well and she doesn’t want to address it.