A Working-Class Household

The speaker's father worked an unspecified weekly job that left his hands cracked and aching. This insinuates some kind of exhausting manual labor. Tensions ran high in the household, which can be seen when the speaker recounts "fearing the chronic angers of that house" (9). Perhaps the speaker's father was the source of that anger. Despite the tensions that were likely exacerbated by lack and the necessity of hard work, the speaker's father sacrificed immensely to support his family. This included the emotional labor of constantly performing domestic tasks without acknowledgement.

Winter Sundays

As the title specifies, the poem exhibits the speaker's childhood memories of winter Sundays. Sunday is often observed as a day of worship and rest. However, the speaker's father rose early to make a fire, heat the household, and get the family ready (perhaps to attend a religious service). The freezing temperatures and lack...