preview

Comparing My Mother And Those Winter Sundays

Decent Essays

Developing an individual's emotional and psychological well-being is largely dependent on the parent-child relationship. In poems like "My Mother" by Ellen Bryant Voigt and "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden, we are given a glimpse into the nuances and emotions at the heart of parent-child interactions. Parents' actions have profound effects on the lives of their children, and both poets explore themes of love, sacrifice, and the real impact of their actions. The author's two works offer a lens through which the parent-child dynamic might be viewed: Ellen Bryant Voigt's "My Mother" and Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays", both presenting the relationship through the lens of regret and appreciation. For example, Hayden's opening line presents a vivid depiction of a father's silent sacrifices: "Sundays to my …show more content…

Through meticulous care of the household and emotional support, Voigt's poem portrays maternal affection and sacrifice that directly benefits the speaker. On the other hand, Hayden's poem is melancholy and regretful, focusing on unrecognized sacrifice as the theme of the father's love. An often belated appreciation for parental sacrifice is a common theme in parent-child relationships, as illustrated by the speaker's retrospective understanding of his father's love. It is poignant to see how the concept of parental love has evolved over both poems' final stanzas. A central part of Voigt's speaker's message is the recognition of the mother's sacrifice as being crucial to their development and well-being. Hayden's speech, on the other hand, ends with a lament for his past ignorance, as encapsulated in the lines, "What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?" Hayden, lines 13-14. Often silent, always profound, this rhetorical question underscores the complexity of parental

Get Access