32 pages 1 hour read

Robert Hayden

Those Winter Sundays

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1962

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Activities

1. Reread “Those Winter Sundays.” As you read, circle the adjectives, draw a rectangle around the verbs, and underline the nouns. Next, spend 5 minutes writing about a “winter Sunday” at your house. Then, rereading what you wrote, circle the adjectives, draw a rectangle around the verbs, and underline the nouns. Now, compare your language to Hayden’s. What are the similarities? The differences? Do you feel any more empathy for the poem’s speaker after doing this exercise? Why?

2. With a small group of peers, read the poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke. Then, together, make a Venn diagram (use provided template) that shows the father from “Those Winter Sundays” in relation to the father from “My Papa’s Waltz.” How do these father figures overlap? What traits do they share? How do they differ? Be prepared to present and explain your Venn diagram to the class, using textual evidence to support your characterization of each father.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 32 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,500+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools