My Papa Waltz Analysis

In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers`perspective. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. Other people believe that this poem has a hidden message of parental abuse. In my point of view, the imagery and language, the symbolism, and tone in the poem gave me the impression of the love between the father and son, not of an abusive relationship.

In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers` perspective. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. Others believe that it has a hidden message of child abuse. In my point of view, the imagery and language, the symbolism, and tone in My Papas Waltz gave me the impression of the abusive relationship between the father and son, but then later realizing the positive side.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke sparks differing opinions within the minds of many. Roethke was influenced greatly by his experiences as a young boy. For instance, his uncle and father both died when he was the age of fourteen. “My Papa’s Waltz” is written in remembrance of his father after this dreadful occurrence. The author’s use of imagery brings light to the his adoration for his father. Notably, his way of stringing together ideas reinforces the fond memories they shared. Roethke’s captivating choice of words supports his purpose to make known the love he has for this man. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to bring attention to the loving relationship he had with his father.

At first glance, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is very intriguing as the poem is very ambiguous at first. Many people that read the poem at first believe it to be about child abuse, which is very easy for readers of the 21st generation to confuse as we see everything with a dark meaning behind it. The poem is about a boy who dances with his father, hence the name of the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”. Once the poem has been reread several times, we can take a closer look at what Roethke is really implying in the poem. Therefore, it becomes clear to the audience that the poem has a lighter meaning and has a more positive outlook than a negative outlook to the situation occurring in the poem.

In the poem My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, he looks back in his memory as a child and explains the love he has for his father despite all the flaws his father holds. Roethke describes his emotions through this poem by using diction, imagery, and the use of tone.

“My Papa’s Waltz” is a 16 line poem, by Theodore Roethke, that most people read through one of two lenses. Some find the poem to be a completely light hearted memory that a child has of his father, while others can see a more morbid side of an abusive alcoholic father who is beating his child rather than waltzing. Whether you read it through the violent lense ot the innocent one there is no doubt that the poem is about a memory, whether scary or fun is up to the reader themselves.

Theodore Roethke was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1908 he was only fourteen years old when he lost his father due to cancer. He idolized him following him everywhere and anywhere, because he was his hero. Roethke spent a lot of his younger days working in a greenhouse with his father they practically lived there considering all the hours they spent together there. “My Papa’s Waltz” is just one of the many poems that the greenhouse is reflected in his writing. From the beginning of this poem in the first two lines presented in the introduction Roethke leaves us with the connotation of his father has been drinking whiskey and it has not been light drinking. He has drank so much that it has stained his breath to the point where it could make a young boy dizzy as it does with his son. By saying his son hangs on to him like death shows us that he has become dizzy by his breath and using the word death shows it is not one of the better memories he has in the vault of their relationship.

“My Papa’s Waltz” is one poem written by Theodore Roethke. Roethke’s style is unique, because he uses situational irony. This is a simple poem, created with four stanzas of four lines each, called quatrains. “My Papa’s Waltz” is the interpretation of an adult’s emotions. Roethke describe the relationship with his father. This poem is a monologue where the persona is an adult telling about himself and a particular situation by looking back at his childhood. The poem describes a typical moment in a family life, where the father has been drinking whiskey, the little boy seems afraid and the mother appears to be unhappy. Through this pome the persona who is now an adult expresses emotions of fear and love. Recalling the past Roethke tells how his alcoholic papa hold him and make a danger waltz. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Roethke uses imaginary and metaphors to reveal his theme.

My Papa's Waltz is by Theodore Rothke it is about a childhood memory written later in his lifetime. Theodore Rothke's dad was an alcoholic drunk. Theodore Rothke went through a period where he was depressed and mentally unstable. Theodore Rothke was fascinated by the nature of the world; many of his poems were about this subject. Some people who read My Papa&'s Waltz come to the conclusion that it is about a drunken abusive father. However, I think when he was writing this he was reminiscing about a good childhood memory from when he was around seven years old.

Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debates among professors, scholars, and students; the imagery, context, and diction of the poem clearly supports the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” reflecting on his relationship with his father. A relationship in which, notably, causes harm to the author. However, through all the nights Roethke spent in pain and in horror, his love for his father still exists. While many people believe that the author tells a lovely story of a fond memory with his father, it is not possible that the use of negative imagery and negative diction does not play a role in the story told. “My Papa’s Waltz” tells the story of a “small boy” who is abused by his

Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is a poem that consists of sixteen lines. Roethke made the rhyme plot abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh. Roethke utilizes this rhyme plan to influence it to seem as though the poem is a waltz. The rhyme throughout the stanzas gives the poem a beat. Every stanza consists of four lines, which the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme. As you first read the poem you portray a little kid who is hitting the dance floor with his intoxicated father in the kitchen. In line 7 and 8, you get the feeling that the little kid's mom is annoyed with the father. The pictures in the sonnet incorporate the kid's dad faltering around, and the little kid supposes he and his dad are moving. Another picture the poem leaves is the father's hands "battered on one knuckle" and "built up hard by dirt" which is stated in lines 10 and 14. This leaves a picture of a hard-working man, and the mother is furious. The last picture in the poem is the place that the drunk father is putting the little kid to bed. Roethke utilizes a likeness in the sonnet contrasting how the kid was being dragged around while the kid thought he was moving stated on line 3. The waltz is a generally developed allegory. The little kid trusts that he is moving, however, his dad is just dragging him around. The tone of the poem is gloomy. Roethke utilizes in line 3 and 10 the words "battered" and "passing" to make the tone of the sonnet gloomy. The father appeared to have gotten into an encounter while being intoxicated, and his significant other is worried about him. The little kid did not have any desire to go to bed since in line 16 it says he was sticking to his dad's shirt.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke looks into the relationship of a father and son back in Theodore Roethke childhood. In this poem the son admires his father very much and reminisce on the things they once did together. “My Papa’s Waltz” shows the love or fear between a son and father, how hard the father works to take care of the family and the special bond the father and son shared in dancing together.

The words will get into your soul and bring sorrow and anger to the surface. The word “whiskey” (line 1) shows the father is a drinking man, and the word “dizzy” (line 2) implies the amount of whiskey his father consumes sickens the boy. The boy is young and fragile which plays in the lines of the poem “death” (line 3), “battered” (line 10), “beat” (line 13), and “caked hard” (line 14), are all negative hidden meanings. The word “countenance” (line 7) parallels the mother’s stern disapproval. “Hung” (line 3) is past tense reflecting on an earlier time.

In Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" a cold tone via a choppy rhythm emphasizes the speaker's detached relationship their with father. However, this image of their relationship is paired with remorse and regret that the speaker as he was unable to see what his father did to provide for him. Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" creates a seemingly warmer and loving image of a father and child yet has a much darker message. Double meanings of words in actuality describe an abusive relationship between the father and the speaker. While both poems convey the relationship between the speakers and their fathers, through the use of imagery, rhythm, diction it is revealed how starkly different these relationships are.

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.” (Sigmund Freud). As the quote states, a father’s presence is thought to be crucial in a child’s life, so when that presence is lacking, the result is great pain and sorrow. Unfortunately, poet Theodore Roethke was one of the unlucky people who had to endure such a fate, as his father died of cancer when he was at the tender age of fifteen. Furthermore, his uncle, who had served as a father-like figure to him, committed suicide shortly after. These two tragedies, in addition to his already low self-esteem, shaped Roethke’s life and led him to suffer from manic depression. His poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” describes how his father taught him how to waltz as a young boy, and is commonly thought to be a poem that explores themes of an abusive father, but his positive relationship with his father counteracts this misconception. Rather, the poem is about how deeply he misses his father and how he remembers him nostalgically, with fondness and sorrow. Through the use of diction and imagery, Theodore Roethke effectively creates a nostalgic tone in "My Papa's Waltz."