In “My Papa’s Waltz,” poet Theodore Roethke uses sensory details and ambiguous language to persuade both the boy and the reader that the boy still loves his father, despite him being an alcoholic. On the third sentence of the first stanza, Roethke uses ambiguous language by stating: “But I hung on like death. Such waltzing was not easy.” Although this plainly means that the boy was holding onto his father without ease, it can be interpreted in another way; the boy still loves his father, even though it is hard to love him with his alcoholism at times, and the boy still loves his father very much. The boy is reflecting on this idea while waltzing with his
Chiu Ching 3U (8) My Papa’s Waltz Questions 1. Comment on the simile in the first stanza. (3 marks) The simile used in the first stanza is “I hung on like death”(3). The next line, “Such waltzing was not easy”(4) suggests that the father and son’s boisterous, wild “romping”(5) around was difficult for the child, and he had to hang on tightly because the father was romping around drunkenly and did not hold onto him well.
Although “Papa” may not be the most sensitive man around, but he is still to be a hero in his son's eyes. Referring from the title of “My Papa’s Waltz”, “Papa” does not seem like he’s being violent intentionally but not accidentally hurting his son. This poem also, symbolizes dance in the relationship of a father and
Roethke’s My Papas Waltz Many literary scholars, researchers and readers in general, driven by intrigue, have tried to dissect, analyze, and interpret the ambiguous meaning of Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz.” Their explications however, result in ambivalent, and sometimes controversial views. Some critics argue that “My Papas Waltz,” portrays the physical violence inflicted by a father to his child.
I have chosen Theodore Roethke's poetry, "My Papa's Waltz," for this discussion board. - The poem's use of imagery serves as its first literary component, and it uses sensitive language to create a clear visual image for the reader. We can see that the father's hand was described as "battered," while the hanging procedure was described using the word "waltzing." - Rhyming is the second literary technique utilized in the poem. The poem contains a unique form of lyricism.
The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke writes about this little boy who has an alcoholic father but has a darker turn. The father abuses the little boy, but the little boy is so innocent to the point where he sees the abuse as a waltz. In the poem it is a misleading waltz for the little boy. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke uses a confused tone, dramatic irony, and personification to portray that the happy family can be a myth to many.
In Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, the speaker seems to be an adult reminiscing his childhood through a metaphor of a dance. The poem suggests that the boy was abused and the mother stood by without doing much about it. Three topics that
The relationship between father and son is one that is both sacred, yet complex as each side of the relationship faces hardships. This relationship between a son and his role model, a father and his child, is one, has its ups, but one must also know it has downs. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke’s use of ambiguity through diction allows room for the audience to interpret the text in a positive or a negative way, representing the relationship between a father and a son, which on the outside can be interpreted in an either positive or a negative way. Roethke’s use of diction creates an element of confusion for the audience of his poem.
Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, portrays a memory that the speaker has with his father in which they are dancing in the kitchen. The poem is in the perspective of the young boy describing the memory of a “waltz” he had with his father through a childlike point of view. The poem’s title attempts to portray a happy exchange between a father and son however the literary devices used display a counter perspective. Through the use of metaphors, tone, and diction in his poem, Roehke’s describes both a positive and negative memory in which it seems as the son desires a healthier relationship with his father, but encounters the negative impact of physical abuse. In “My Papa’s Waltz” both the positive and negative aspects of the relationship
Theodore Roethke’s, “My Papa’s Waltz,” uses a great deal of imagery by using the metaphor of the word “Waltz.” A Waltz is a dance that has a step to every beat of the music, while in close proximities to the other dancer, there is not much change and it is in fact quite repetitive. Already we begin to form an image Roethke is trying to provide us by saying “My Papa’s Waltz.” His usage of the word “Papa” is quite informal compared to the word, “father.” It is only upon reading and analyzing the rest of the poem that we realize the struggle tied to the word.
In the poem, My Papa’s Waltz, the speaker, Theodore Roethke, writes about a father and son waltzing. Further investigation suggests there is more going on than a waltz. The poet utilizes figure of speech and a negative toned vocabulary throughout the poem. Thus, alleviating the reader of the harsh truth of an abusive relationship whilst never dehumanizing the father.
In the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke illustrates the complex relationship between a little boy and his father by juxtaposing images of love and violence through word choices that portray feelings of fear yet affection for his father. Roethke’s shifting tone encompasses distress and a sense admiration that suggests the complexities of violence both physically and emotionally for the undercurrents of his father and son relationship. The poem begins with a series of negative images, each of which are considered violent and undesirable in a family. For example, “The whiskey on your breath” suggests alcoholism, and “Could make a small boy dizzy” emphasizes that a boy is suffering from the effects of the alcoholic parent.
The overall situation unfolding between the boy and his father is positive roughhousing with no terms of abuse. When covering the topic of abuse in the poem, Dr. O'Connor said, “According to Karl Malkoff, Roethke had a deep, almost religious respect for his father.” Roethke and his father had a strong bond that was strengthened through religion. The father was a strong figure, but was a loving idol for Roethke.
The a main symbol in this story is the waltz dance that they perform because It displays the control the father had over his son by making him learn that the dance and by his not liking how the father is acting towards him “ My mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself”(3,4). States she’s not happy and frowns because the husband was drunk as he arrived home. The father was waltzing as he had consumed so much alcohol that each step he took he stumbled and his buckle on his belt would hit him in the right ear “ at every step you missed my right ear scraped a
In the poem, My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, is known to be a controversial story about a father and son relationship. The speaker in this poem has contradicting emotions about his father and the tone told throughout the story can be ribald yet many readers find it all just a happy memory. The main subject of My Papa’s Waltz is a young son who loved his son but still feared him. In this poem the speaker will illustrate the family views using a certain word choice and the tone he uses. The specific diction will highlight the real truth between the father and son relationship and what it means.
