Comparison Analysis of Taught Me Purple and Those Winter Sundays

A parent's love is unconditional, and barely anything is strong enough to break it. Often, all the hard work and extra hours parents put in for their children are not noticed, and many times, not appreciated. The two poems, "Taught Me Purple" by Evelyn Tooley Hunt and "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden tell us about this undying affection. "Taught Me Purple" is a story in which a daughter recalls her poor childhood. She tells of her mother who worked hard for her entire life and how she was constantly fighting for a better life for her daughter. "Those Winter Sundays" is about a father who always worked hard to care for his family, even getting up early on Sunday mornings to warm the house, but was never thanked. Despite many differences, these two poems show us that a parent's love often causes them to sacrifice in order for their children to have a better life.

"Taught Me Purple" shows us love through a mother who is constantly working for a better life for her daughter. The girl telling the story states that

My mother taught me purple
Although she never wore it.Wash gray was her circle
The tenement her orbit.

For ages, the colors purple and gold have been used to symbolize royalty and wealth. In stating that her mother taught her both gold and purple, the girl is telling us that her mother showed her how great life could be and tried to steer her in the direction of a more comfortable, successful life. The mother working hard for her daughter's sake shows us that a parent's love often causes them to sacrifice in order for their children to have a better life.

The relationship between the father and the son in "Those Winter Sundays" takes an entirely different spin on love. The boy telling the story recalls his father being constantly angry and doesn't realize all of his hard work until he looks back on his life. The father was a hard-working man, but he would still get up early on Sunday mornings (the day of rest) in order to warm the house before his son awoke.

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?

The father shows his love subtly, never coming out and saying it, in a way that could have been mistaken as harsh or even unloving. The son looks back at the way he had treated his father "speaking indifferently" and "never thanking" him and realizes all the hard work his dad had done in order to make his life more comfortable. The hard-working father who went the extra mile to make life easier on his son shows us that a parent's love often causes them to sacrifice to give their children a better life.

The two poems have entirely different tones, "Taught Me Purple" being thankful and "Those Winter Sundays" being regretful. The relationships between the mother/daughter and the father/son show love is shown in many different ways, but no matter what it is there. The parents working hard and sacrificing for their children show that a parent's love often causes them to sacrifice in order to create a better life for their children.