Sundays too my father got up early
And put his clothes on in the blueback 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?
This sonnet written by Robert Hayden is a tribute to his foster father. This poem fits my theme mainly because of the title. The main theme of the poem however is a sad reflection of his childhood and lack of appreciation for the love his foster father showed him as a child. However, he writes, “What did I know, what did I know” to console himself, that it was not his fault, he was too young to understand. The imagery and metaphors are beautiful and well thought out (“of love’s austere and lonely offices”, “blueback cold”.). The whole poem, save the last two lines, is a synecdoche representing his foster father’s love.
I really like this poem Sam. Though I'm wondering if it's a sonnet, as it doesn't rhyme...The motif of cold works well as a symbol for the father and son's relationship, and the imagery is really poweful. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this poem Sam, good choice. I am not sure if this is a sonnet either though because as Bridget said it doesn't rhyme. I am not sure though because I am terrible at determining types of poems haha. I really enjoyed reading this poem though and I enjoyed the imagery used in this poem. Great work Sam!
ReplyDeleteI like how this poem is about a parent who is not given deserved recognition. It makes me think about, for the few minutes while reading the poem, about the amount of work and sacrifice that my parents put into my well-being, and how they are sometimes taken for granted. I like how the author used colourful words such as "austere".
ReplyDeleteI like how the cold relates to the relationship in the poem. I also really like the last line "love's austere and lonely offices". it shows how much the father loved the son, even though he couldn't show it in obvious ways and it seemed like he was cold-hearted. But he actually got up early and shoveled snow for the family etc. That's very relatable and very true for many families. Great pick Sam!
ReplyDeleteGood poem selection Sam. I like how at the end of the poem the subject states his realization about love's nature, and so although he was unable to appreciate his stepfather's gestures when he was younger, his reflections are gracious. I especially like the first stanza's descriptive imagery.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this poem Sam. It's really meaningful and deep, and lots of people can relate to it. I like how the poet has now learned to appreciate all that his foster father did for him. This was a good choice for your theme too, because the poet describes the chill of winter very well. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI think the strenght to the poem is that fact that it is relatable to a lot of people. The message and theme of the poem is also very powerful as it is something that a lot of people go through. i like the language used, for instance "blueback cold", and "chronic angers" they make the poem deep and very meaninful as it adds a great deal of emotion.
ReplyDelete