Those Winter Sundays
Robert Hayden
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?
Q 1: The word ‘too’ in the first line of the poem suggests
A. continuity of action
B. change of circumstances
C. brevity of existence
D. freezing of good fortune
Q 2: What is the tone of the poet in the last two lines?
A. Approbatory
B. Rueful
C. Remonstrative
D. Audacious
Q 3: Which of the following statements gives the theme of this poem?
A. One gets disillusioned as one gets older.
B. As a child, one always believes in unconditional love.
C. One appreciates paternal love only in hindsight.
D. It is difficult to come to terms with the fact that one has grown up.
Q 4: ‘Chronic’ suggests something that is
A. long-lasting
B. well-considered
C. hurried
D. unjustifiable
Q 5: The poet’s father’s actions indicate that
A. good intentions are often misunderstood
B. love expresses itself even without words
C. faith in one’s loved ones is equivalent to faith in god
D. life’s failures can be overcome with the aid of one’s family
Q 6: The indifference of the son can be equated with
A. the harshness of the cold
B. his father’s warm and loving actions
C. his recollection of the times gone by
D. the overcoming of the cold by the blazing fire
Q 7: The line, ‘who had driven out the cold’ is indicative of the father’s
A. discomfort
B. triumph
C. self belief
D. humility
Solution
1. (A)
‘Too’ in the first line of the poem suggests that like other days, on Sundays too, the poet’s father
gets up early in the morning to make life more comfortable for his son.
2. (B)
The poet’s tone in the last two lines is rueful as he is filled with immense sorrow and grief on
remembering how he ignored his father’s love for him.
3. (C)
The poet understands the worth of his father and his father’s unconditional love only at a later
stage in life when his father is no more with him.
4. (A) Long-lasting
5. (B)
The poet’s father did everything for his son, like warming the house, polishing his shoes etc.
However, he never said a word about doing these things. This shows that love expresses itself
even without words.
6. (A)
Cold freezes the body, while harshness and rude words freeze the heart of a person. Therefore,
the indifference of the son can be equated with the harshness of the cold.
7. (B)
It was a triumph for the father to drive out the cold as he had made the place warmer and more
comfortable for his son.
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