The classic, archetypal father is usually recognized the hardworking, head of the household, earning a sufficient income to support his family. "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden shows a father who affirms that role, while "Forgiving my Father" by Lucille Clifton does not. Both poems express contrasting mood tone attitudes and thoughts from a child's perspective. In one poem the father seems to be taken for granted, while the other one is portrayed as poor and useless. Hayden's and Clifton's poems are similar in most aspects but the main difference is the contrasting tone.

The father's duty is a feature that is similar in both stories. The duty of the father is to support the wellbeing of his family and to keep them happy. Sometimes it isn't as easy due to certain circumstances, such as the life were born into. In "Forgiving my Father", the father was born into a poor family already so it was difficult to make a good living: "but you were the only son of a needy father, the father of a needy son." Some people are born with privileges, but I think a difference in the two poems is what the fathers made of the life they had. The father in the first story is portrayed as a hard worker, while the other one's work isn't mentioned at all. The fatherly duty is apparent among "Those Winter Sundays" and is a key subject that changes the mood of both speakers. For not upholding his duty, the father of "Forgiving my Father" is shunned and unloved.

While the duty is obvious in the poems, unappreciation is too. The speaker in "Those Winter Sundays" has a father that contributed to a decent life. The father was expressed as hardworking but unrewarded: "then with cracked hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather made banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him... who had driven out the cold and polished my good shoes as well." The audience can feel the speaker's remorse for not being able to cherish what the father has done; assuming that the father provided the child with the possible wants and needs. "Forgiving my Father" has a speaker that's not so thankful as well. In fact, the speaker seems to be the total opposite. The speaker appears extremely demanding, always speaking a great deal about money when it comes to his father: "it is Friday. We have come to the paying of the bills...today is payday, payday old man...I wish you were rich..." The speaker talks about a life of struggle and regret, having a father who could not meet the needs of his family.

In contrast to "Those Winter Sundays", "Forgiving my Father" speaks in a more negative tone. Clifton utilizes words such as "old lecher old liar...old pauper old prisoner, old dead man" expressing the hatred towards the father. "Those Winter Sundays" in contrast, has lines of semi-appreciative comments such as "No one ever thanked him" and "put his clothes on in the blueblack cold" to show appreciation of the work by the father.  The speaker in "Those Winter Sundays" knows that even though if that's all that his father he could do, it would be enough because he was happy to be alive, while in "Forgiving my Father" nothing is enough. The father was not able to bring in any income but if he managed to somehow, he would still be considered a failure judging by the tone of the speaker.

"Those Winter Sundays" is written as a regretful poem, with the speaker hating himself for not cherishing his father while he could. "Forgiving my Father" is a hate letter, lashing out insults at her father for not being able to support his family. They are similar when it comes to speak about a father's duty and contains aspects of unappreciation of the children. The poems are different because of the tone portrayed by each speaker.
