Those Winter Sundays

In this paper, I will discuss how various short poems reflect on the idea of family. The poems I will evaluate are ‘Those Winter Sundays’ by Robert Hayden, ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ by Theodore Roethke and finally, ‘Eating together’ by Li-Young Lee. I will also determine how the poems construct the feeling of family and how this may emotionally affect the reader. Moreover, I will investigate how the speaker influences the perception of family. Using my own opinion and experience of family, I will also discuss how I was emotionally affected when reading the poems.
Family is a very precious subject. Not everyone is blessed with a loving, caring family. I sympathize with these people as I understand family to be one of the most important and crucial aspects in my life. In fact, my future aspirations revolve around making my
I believe the title of the poem directly links to the theme of family. Eating together is often a family tradition, especially on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas. The setting allows a time and a place where the family can sit down together and spend quality time. Modern day society can be very stressful due to increased working hours and economic difficulty. I believe these factors are limiting the amount of time families spend eating together. Moreover, this poem touches on the sentimental value of family. Something as simple as a meal can relate to family. For example, each time I eat broccoli cheddar soup I am instantly reminded of my late grandfather as he used to make it throughout my childhood. I believe this is replicated by Lee as he states, “In the steamer is the trout seasoned with slivers of ginger,”. (Lee 1618) This meal represents much more than just food. It represents a time and a place surrounded by family. There are various forms of sentimental values. I believe this poem will stimulate the reader’s thoughts and remind them of their sentimental