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My Papa Waltz

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What if you had to have a father who reeked of alcohol and had problems with him. This poem My Papa waltz is about the writer remembering what his father was like when he was a kid and compares what he had done to the waltz he was having. My Papa Waltz is probably one of the best poem’s written by Theodore Reothke. The poem may seem like it’s been written just like any other poem, but this poem is a lot deeper than you may think. Within the poem there are is a numerous number of themes which is, dominance of father figure , alcohol because of the father drinking and, getting to spend time with his dad . Also, there are many symbols as well which include the father is a drunkard to him clinging to the shirt of his father as he dances and the …show more content…

His father is a big alcohol because the poem starts off as “the whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (1,2). This also leads into the fact that his father is an alcoholic because the breath reeks of whiskey and at the end of that stanza there is an indication of his father breath making it hard to stand up and waltz and follow his foot movements because it smelled so bad. But I hung on like death such waltzing was not easy”.(3,4) This line also indicates that the waltzing dance wasn’t so easy to do. The last theme about quality time with his father is big because if he doesn’t help him with the dance then he really wouldn’t know another way to express his love to his son so making him waltz around the house is the best way he thought they could do it. 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

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While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, background, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to reminisce upon a nostalgic memory from childhood of dancing or “waltzing” with his father. Many individuals believe that the poem is about an abusive relationship between the author and his father. Although this may seem true through certain aspects, the author intended for this poem to be a reflection upon a happy memory with his father. According to the author, Roethke meant for this poem to be a dedication to his father, who has passed away while the author was at a young age. Thus, Roethke achieves his purpose

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Theodore Roethke introduces us to a domestic scene that takes place in a kitchen. The speaker is engaging in a waltz with his father, and Roethke supplies the story of the relationship between an alcoholic father, and a naïve son through stanzas that align with the rhythm of a waltz. Through the imagery depicted through analyzing the poem, we can understand briefly what the speaker remembers and feels about this dance. The speaker of this poem speaks about his father in a saddened way. Introducing the poem in these two lines: The whiskey on your breath/…make a small boy dizzy” (1-2).

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My Papa’s Waltz Theodore Roethke has shared a very well written poem with the world. His writing is attention grabbing and very thorough. People have come to two main interpretations of what the poem My Papa's Waltz means. One conclusion is that the waltz is a metaphor for abuse and the second conclusion is that the papa described is literally doing his and his grandchild’s “waltz” together. My Papa’s Waltz, in my belief, is metaphorically speaking about an alcoholic father who abuses his child.

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In 1948 Modern English Poet, Theodore Roethke wrote the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”. Roethke uses descriptive language of a drunk father to showcase the beaten abuse of a child. The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” was first published in 1948 in “The Lost Son & Other Poems” the poem showcases the complex interweaving of disparate emotions and moods. In the poem the father appears to be over himself like he 's a bigger ego towards his son. His drunk persona of an alcoholic, disrupting shows he 's unable to follow the steps of the dance.

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The waltz between the father and his son ended with the boy getting sent to bed, so it was clear that the speaker enjoyed the prospect of delaying his bedtime. For instance, the speaker concludes his recollection by stating, “Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt” (Roethke 15-16). This signifies that the waltz may have just been an attempt to coerce the young boy into getting to bed. In addition, this poem highlights the playful nature of the relationship that bonds fathers and their

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