CUET Preparation Today
Read the poem and answer the following questions
Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blue-black 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?
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How was the poet's relationship with his father in the past? |
Amiable Estranged Friendly Cordial |
Estranged |
The correct answer is OPTION 2 -Estranged "Those Winter Sundays" is a poem by Robert Hayden. In the poem, an adult speaker reflects on how, when he was a child, his father would get up early on Sunday mornings throughout the winter in order to light a fire and warm up the house before anyone else got out of bed. At the time the speaker failed to appreciate this, as well as the other ways his father expressed affection for his family. Only upon looking back at these memories as an adult does he understand the often selfless and thankless nature of love. The poet's relationship with his father in the past can be described as estranged. The poem reflects a sense of emotional distance between the speaker and the father. Phrases like "Speaking indifferently to him" and "fearing the chronic angers of that house" suggest that there was a lack of warmth and understanding in their relationship. The speaker acknowledges the father's sacrifices and hard work only in retrospect, indicating that, during childhood, there was a disconnect between them. |
