Peter Meinke and Robert Hayden Peter Meinke's poem “Advice to My Son” and Robert Hayden's poem “Those Winter Sundays” should be compared because they are two beautifully written poems that talk about the relationship between a parent and their child, but they also have their differences. Peter Meinke's “Advice to My Son” ends with a statement that is a little more difficult to understand, because it is full of figurative language and symbols. Hayden's poem “Those Winter Sundays” uses fairly direct language and expresses one of the main themes in the last lines. This difference in linguistic style will easily appear if you compare the concluding lines of each poem. Although these two heartfelt poems are different in many ways, in the end they are both essentially about a loving family and the relationship that a father and son share. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Peter Meinke's poem "Advice to My Son" is about a father trying to give his son his age-old advice on how to spend his time and how to live his best life from the perspective of someone who is more elderly and experienced. Meinke conveys a powerful sense of a number of opposing aspects of life: the physical and the spiritual, the sensual and the intellectual, the religious and the secular, etc. The tone of this poem is full of love and hope for the future. An example could be expressed in the lines “And always serve bread with your wine. / But son, / always serve wine”. My interpretation of these last lines is that the speaker is trying to advise his son to take a middle path, not to veer to one extreme or the other, but to also indulge in the pleasures of life. This poem is a fantastic example of how all a parent truly wants for their child is for them to be happy and successful. Robert Hayden's poem "Those Winter Sundays" conveys the speaker as a grown man presenting the reader with memories of his childhood. how his father expressed love for him through his actions – even if no one ever took the time to thank him – and the remorse his son feels for not appreciating him. This poem has a darker tone and is full of pain and guilt. One can interpret the lines "What did I know, what did I know / Of love's austere and solitary offices?" as the speaker of the poem implies a few things: that the father does everything he does for his family out of love, not out of expectation of being thanked for it, and that the father feels alone and neglected because his actions are not fully appreciate. Other than tone, the differences between these two poems concern situation. “Those Winter Sundays” seems more serious as the speaker reflects on how his father woke him up on cold Sunday mornings and how the boy seemingly failed to appreciate his father. On the other hand, “Advice to My Son” seems to be more of a bonding experience between two family members. Although the poems share the common theme of love, Meinke's poem also has an underlying theme relating to the potential for success in life, while Hayden's poem also has the hidden theme of ingratitude. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay There are some similarities that these two poems share. In addition to the father-son relationships that are the subjects of the poem, the styles demonstrated by the two poets are also similar. Both the poems “Advice to My Son” and “Those Winter Sundays” were written in free verse without any rhyme scheme.