ipl-logo

My Papas Waltz: Abusive Relationship Between Father And Son

274 Words2 Pages
My papas waltz To me “My papas waltz” is about an abusive relationship between father and son. Some may say that it’s just a dance in a kitchen, or it’s just a boy who was dancing with his dad but got hurt so he was put to bed. Through this essay I will explain to you how it is not just a dance, or how it’s just a little boy getting hurt. Through this poem on line 5 you can see clearly that they are not in fact dancing but romping, meaning the child is playing roughly or energetically. Maybe just maybe the boy knocks over some pans or plates that cause the mother of father to get angry. With his father already drinking all he needed was someone to pull the last straw before he snapped. There is no indication of abuse, but there are hints
Show More
Related

Pencil Crayons Analysis

533 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of the story, he was an innocent kid without any worries or fears about his father or things that coming up. He tends to think positively about things around him. When the boy witnessed his father was about to beat his mother, he was scared, but then, he decided to stop his father from doing it. "The boy rose from his chair. ' No!'

Read More

Domestic Violence In My Papa Waltz

475 Words | 2 Pages

the boy talks about trying to run away, and the boy talks about being beaten. I have a few reasons why I believe this. Some might disagree, here is my evidence. The poem is about domestic violence because the boy talks about being beaten.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

548 Words | 3 Pages

In the poem my papa’s waltz by Theodore Roethke a fond relationship is shown between a father and his son. In “My Papa’s Waltz” the characterization of the father helps to create this fond relationship between the father and son. First the use of diction helps to build this relationship. By using the words like “whiskey,” (1) “romped,” (10) “battered,” and “scraped” (12) which connotatively are all things that are associated with rougher people.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays

683 Words | 3 Pages

Every story consists of different elements, such as characters, plotlines, and settings. Nonetheless, many stories portray the same messages or ideas. “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, depicts a reckless father who is loved by his child, while “Those Winter Sundays,” by Robert Hayden, depicts a hardworking father whose child is indifferent to him. Though the poems depict exceptionally different childhoods, both contribute to the idea that perceptions of parents alter as one grows into adulthood. Both poems use harsh words and critical tones in order to convey this notion, however in “My Papa’s Waltz,” they signify the recklessness of the father and how the narrator perceives his father as an adult, while in “Those Winter Sundays,” they

Read More

Analysis Of Stand By Theodore Roethke

1226 Words | 5 Pages

This son is shown to fight with his dad when the dad is drunk, but, by the end of the poem you can see that he still wants his dads love and approval. We see this want for love and acceptance in the movie Stand By Me directed by Rob Reiner. A character named Teddy, in the movie, has problems with his dad because he is an alcoholic, you are not given a lot of information about Teddy’s dad, and home life, but from what is told in the movie, you can tell Teddy’s father is not a good person, and seems to abuse Teddy. Teddy is like the boy in “My Papa’s Waltz” because there is not a lot of information given, yet you still seem like you painfully know everything that is going on with these two boys and their fathers. Even though Teddy has a dead beat father, when people say impolite things about him, Teddy gets very angry and always chooses to stand up for him, and defend him.

Read More

The Tone Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

374 Words | 2 Pages

In the Poem “My Papa’s Waltz;” written by Theodore Roethke, the poem presents a somber tone through its usage of negative words and persuasive poetic craft. Throughout the poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke uses forceful words such as death, romped, unfrown, battered, and beat to provide the reader with tenderness for the character. This choice of words is used by the author likely to create the image of someone being abused and harmed. Consequently, many will argue that the story is about a son dancing with his drunken father. Some examples of this include when Roethke writes “The Whiskey on your breath.

Read More

Abuse In My Papa's Waltz

217 Words | 1 Pages

One way in which imagery is creating the fearful tone is by Dad's drinking. In the Roethke's poem, "My Papa's Waltz", the imagery is used to develop the tone in which the boy is abused. An example of this can be seen when the speaker says,"But I hung on like death" (line 3). This line shows that the boy was scared of his father. This abuse that this boy was enduring was unbearable when the speaker states,"you beat time on my head" (13).

Read More

Compare And Contrast Sylvia Plath And My Papa's Waltz

846 Words | 4 Pages

Comparing and contrasting Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, one finds the two poems are similar with their themes of abuse, yet contrasting with how the themes are portrayed. Furthermore, the speaker 's feelings toward their fathers’ in each poem contrast. One speaker was hurt by the father and the other speaker was indifferent about how he was treated by his father. The fathers’ feelings toward the children are also different despite how each treated the child. Both poems accurately portray the parent-child relationships within an abusive home, even if they have different

Read More

My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis

871 Words | 4 Pages

The father/son relationship are shown in both poems. Both are adults reflecting on their past. “My Papa’s Waltz” is about how the father would dance daily with the son. Although it was painful when he sometimes missed a step and his “right ear scraped a buckle”, this was a memorable memory for the son (Line 8). The poem has a happy tone of the sons childhood days.

Read More

Compare And Contrast My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays

929 Words | 4 Pages

It is in these years of a young boy's life when his fathers actions shape the way his son sees life. In most cases, the son looks up to his father, so it is the father’s responsibility to set a prime example for how to act. In both poems, the father shows unconditional love, which as a result has a different effect in each of the poems. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, the son realizes this love right away, and even though it is rough, he accepts his father, and strives to have that type of love later in life. On the other hand, the father in “Those Winter Sundays” shows an immense amount of love, but it goes unnoticed by the speaker.

Read More

Theodore Roethke My Papa's Waltz Analysis

578 Words | 3 Pages

Waltzing Through the Pain Imagine growing up in a house where your father was drunk and your mother would keep quiet, all you have to hold on to are the good memories. This is what it was like for the little boy growing up in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. The young boy loved his father dearly even though he would get beat by his drunk father. When his father died things changed, all he has left is the good memories. The boy struggles to cope with his father's passing, the boy is having a negative experience.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

1220 Words | 5 Pages

Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” explores a father-child dynamic through a classic dance, the waltz. The poem includes descriptions that make the dance appear rough, sloppy, and carefree, leading the poem to be up to a reader’s interpretation. The way Roethke wrote this poem gives the impression that this is a dance that echoes the best parts of the speaker and father’s relationship, the love they have for one another. Though the poem expresses underlying issues in this relationship, at this moment, the father seems to be a hardworking man who loves his son and wants to have fun dancing after a long day. The waltz is one of the most wonderful moments in their relationship.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Essay

644 Words | 3 Pages

My Papa’s Waltz is a poem written by Theodore Roethke. The poem is a memory of a short moment of his childhood. The setting of the poem is in a kitchen. The poem starts when the dad comes home and his son hangs himself on to his dad. This poem has a simple abab rhyme scheme.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Literary Devices

690 Words | 3 Pages

Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” recounts a helpless young boys memory of abuse from his drunk father. Roethke uses many literary devices to portray the various conflicts between a father and his son. The term “Waltz” is used in reference to the violence and abuse received by the son. This poem has a truly negative impact on the reader through descriptive and vivid phrases that leave the readers with a cruel and devastating image in their heads. Immediately, Roethke writes the primary two lines to the sons recollection of his fathers inebriation and the feelings that come with it.

Read More

A Father's Story Short Story

1573 Words | 7 Pages

It is Luke’s fatherly love for his daughter that leads to his dilemma between pursuing the truth of doing what is just and right and demonstrating his love for his daughter. " A Father's Story," by Andre Dubus shares that the love of a father toward his own daughter means that he will protect her even if the process calls for him to misplace a part of himself. To protect his daughter, the father is forced to undergo challenges, a battle between his mind and his values. In the story, Luke Ripley, the protagonist, drops his core principles and ethical values deliberately to protect his daughter. I believe that the central conflict in "A Father's story" is a betrayal of a friend's trust and personal values and ethics for the sake of love, because

Read More

More about My Papas Waltz: Abusive Relationship Between Father And Son

Open Document