1a. What did the speaker's father do on Sunday mornings?
2a. When would the speaker's father call him to get up?
3a. What did the speaker fear, and how did he speak to his father?
4a. Identify how the speaker's attitude toward his father has changed since he was a child.
5a. Why did the father do special deeds for his son even though he did not receive thanks for them?
1b. Why does the speaker use the word too in line 1 of the poem?
2b. What did the speaker's father want to spare his child?
3b. What was the atmosphere in the speaker's home like? Was his relationship with his father always a warm one? Explain.
4b. Explain what the speaker means by "love's austere and lonely offices."
5b. If you were the speaker, what would you do to let your father know that you appreciated his sacrifices?
Repetition. What question is repeated in the poem? What does this repetition indicate about the emotion with which the line is spoken?
Alliteration. Review the chart you made in Literary Tools. What example of alliteration relates to the poem's theme?
1. Imagine that you are the son. Write a thank-you note to your father for his acts of love.
2. Write a journal entry about the Sunday morning routine in your home.
3. Review the Reader's Journal question on page 879. Now, write a lyric poem addressed to the person who once did something nice for you out of love. Before you write, you may wish to brainstorm a list of sensory details connected with that person or with the nice thing he or she did.
Adding Modifiers. Rewrite the following sentences, adding appropriate adjectives and adverbs. Use your imagination to think of modifiers different from those Hayden used.
1. The speaker's father put his clothes on in the cold.
2. He started the fire.
3. His hands ached from labor.
4. The speaker feared the angers of that house.
5. He spoke to his father.
Researching on the Internet.Using the Internet, research Robert Hayden's legacy to twentieth-century American poetry. One site you will find useful is Modern American Poetry at http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps. Then write a short essay about what you have learned. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps. Then write a short essay about what you have learned.">
