The poem begins by Hayden stating “Sundays too my father got up early” (lines 1-2). The word “Sunday” has immediate connotations of rest and relaxation, yet Hayden drops an instant surge of irony into the opening by stating his father didn’t take advantage of that. This instantly shows the type of person Hayden’s father was before Hayden even has the chance of explaining the situation. The poem goes on to describe how his father would wake up and start a fire every morning to heat the house. This makes the first sentence set the tone even bolder, showing the devotion that Hayden’s father had.Â

Hayden makes use of vivid imagery to depict the actions his father conducted in order to heat the house. The images tie together to enforce how difficult the actions were for his father, showing them as painful tasks that he went ahead and did. Immediately, Hayden mentions how his father wakes up and puts on his clothes in “blueblack cold” (line 2). The use of the adjective “blueblack” describing the temperature is a way the text is used to achieve a specific emotion. “Blueblack” embodies painful connotation since the colors mentioned are similar to that of the effects of frostbite. Using the term “blueblack”, Hayden achieves his purpose of depicting the pain that his father instantly woke up to every time he started his task of helping the family. The imagery is a tool to evoke emotion and does so very well within the poetry, due to the emphasis the adjective adds because it is not typically associated with “cold”.Â

His father’s “cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather” (lines 3-4) are mentioned next, emphasizing that his father worked hard throughout the week, and also on his days off. The fact that his hands are cracked adds another element into the commitments his father made for his families comfort, showing that he works hard to support them throughout the week. The cracked hands are evidence that Hayden’s father has a physical labor job, and works strenuously. Also, the poem mentions that his father’s hands still ached on Sunday from his weekday job, implying that his work was so difficult during the week that they still hurt on his days off. This further emphasizes the work that his father puts forth. Hayden then mentions how these actions caused “banked fires [to] blaze.” (line 5). The use of the term “blaze” in the text, counteracts with the terms associated with the cold mentioned previously to show the strength of his father’s love for the family. Despite all of the negatives, a warm sense resonates throughout the bitterness and pain.Â

The irony of all of this is exemplified after the depiction of his father’s triumph when Hayden solemnly states “No one ever thanked him” (line 5). This use of irony right after the explanation of his father’s sacrifice for his family gives the reader Hayden’s objective unit idea he emphasized within the poem. To list what his father should have been thanked for, then list how there was no gratitude sent his way by the family, depicts a sense of regret. It shows that Hayden can now see what he wasn’t able to see then, and look on it in a different matter, that someone should have actually said something. The use of irony is to show that Hayden took his father for granted. Â

Throughout the poem, the kind actions that Hayden’s father performed are highlighted, displaying the strength and good deeds that the man performed. His father would wake him