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My Papa's Waltz And Morning Song Comparison Essay

721 Words3 Pages

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath are very similar poems. Roethke and Plath both use metaphors to emphasize the challenges of parenting; however, Roethke provides an example of poor parenting, while Plath demonstrates that with patience and time, parenting can be satisfying and successful. Parenthood, to some, can be different from what is considered normal. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke’s character is a victim of his father’s abuse. This is more about violence, while "Morning Song" is about going through a mix of emotions as a new mother. There are a lot of challenges and changes that come with parenting and it’s normal to feel emotionally confused, but impulsivity, like the kind in “My Papa’s Waltz”, …show more content…

In “My Papa’s Waltz,” the father is being very impulsive and not thinking about what he’s doing. It seems as though the mother is used to this type of parenting from the father because the poem states, “My mother's countenance could not unfrown itself" (Roethke, lines 7-8). The tone in this poem leans more toward the confused and angry side. In "Morning Song," the mother is very new to motherhood, therefore she feels a disconnect between her and her baby. The tone is a feeling of disconnection and being emotionally confused. This comparison proves that there are good or bad parents, people who will take a little longer to adapt, or how parents will treat their children. These 2 poems show that there is love here from both mothers but in one, not from the abusive dad. There is some dislike and uncertainty in both …show more content…

Many believe it’s about a loving father who remembered a memory about him and his son. Others believe what the majority of the people believe…that is, abuse. Plath on the other hand, didn’t write her poem to be controversial. She set the theme to be about the mother’s new life. The rhythmic pattern in “My Papa’s Waltz” is three beats per line of a waltz and also includes allusions, enjambment, and similes. The allusions come from the “waltzing” (Roethke, line 4). In “Morning Song,” Plath wrote her poem including personification, similes, and metaphors. An example of personification used in Plath’s poem is when she states, “Love set you going like a fat gold watch” (Plath, line 1). This is personifying the first glance at the child after being

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