Those Winter Sundays

1. Think of a person in your life who loves you. Then, write a paragraph about how this person demonstrates their love (through actions, words, etc.). How do these demonstrations of love, however big or small, make you feel? When did you first understand that these were gestures of love? Have you ever told this person that you appreciate their love? If not, what makes that sort of conversation hard for you? If you have, what compelled you to share your gratitude?

2. The poem ends with a question: “What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?” What does this question help us understand about the poem’s speaker? How does the question shift the tone of the poem? How do you feel towards the speaker after reading these lines? Though the question is rhetorical, how might you answer it?

3. Though the poem lacks a rhyme scheme or meter, it does consist of fourteen lines, just like the Shakespearean sonnet. Drawing on what you know about sonnets, consider why Hayden chose to echo the sonnet structure in this poem. How does the poem’s structure reflect its content? Why didn’t Hayden write a haiku, or an elegy? How would the poem change if it adhered to the sonnet structure more closely (iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme)?