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My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

755 Words4 Pages

In Theodore Roethke’s poignant poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” the speaker’s lack of enjoyment during a waltz with his father forms the central theme, unraveling layers of discomfort and tension beneath the seemingly innocuous act. Initially, the speaker’s unease is evident as he describes the waltz as difficult. Though there could be moments of apparent enjoyment, they are overshadowed by tension, notably reflected in the disapproving expression of bystanders. Despite the possibility of finding solace in the rowdy dance, the overall tone, filled with vivid imagery and emotive language, conveys the speaker’s aversion to the experience. The main factors contributing to this claim of lack of enjoyment are: the father’s intoxication, the speaker feeling …show more content…

I envision a father dancing with his child, where the height disparity causes the child’s ear to graze against the father’s belt buckle, explaining the discomfort caused by any missteps. The last quote supporting the father’s intoxicated state is, “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (5-6). This can once again be used to demonstrate the lack of balance and awareness from the father that would result from drinking. While these are the only details within the poem that I believe could be interpreted this way, I think it is safe to say that the boy did not enjoy this waltz due to his father’s careless physical state. One of the salient interpretations of the poem is that the speaker’s lack of enjoyment during the waltz stems from the inadequacy of both participants in performing the dance. This assertion is promptly supported by the speaker’s admission, “But I hung on like death / Such waltzing was not easy” (3-4). The inherent difficulty of the waltz is further proven by multiple instances of clumsiness, exemplified by lines such as: “We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf” (5-6) and “At every step you missed”

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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

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“My Papa’s Waltz” is written from the perspective of someone looking back on a vivid memory from their childhood. The poem demonstrates a problematic father son relationship. The playful tones of “romped until the pans slid” and “waltzed me off to bed” show that the child had love for his father. However, the concerning tones of “the whiskey on your breath”, “scraped a buckle”, and “you beat time on my head” reveal the abusive behavior of an alcoholic father toward his son. While reading this poem, the sensory and kinesthetic imagery immersed me in the experience.

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My Papa's Waltz Syntax

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In discussions of “My Papa’s Waltz,” one controversial issue has been that several people believe it’s an abuse issue. On the other hand, some readers argue it is not abuse although, a loving dance between a father and son. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to show a beating of a son by his father that is told in a beautiful dance. Roethke uses imagery, syntax and diction which brings his poem together to reveal a profound meaning.

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In the final analysis, most readers of this poem tend to deduce a dark theme of physical violence due to its tone, word choice and imagery. Nonetherless, Roethke balances positive and negative tones of the poem to give it a rich and ambiguous quality. The exceeding tendency to paint the picture of child abuse deprives it, of this quality. “My Papa’s Waltz,” illustrates a special and powerful moment, shared between a father and a son through a waltz.

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Another example of this, in the last stanza, lines 15-16, is made as Roethke notes “[t]hen waltzed me off to bed/[s]till clinging to your shirt.” The last lines of the poem show the true relationship at the end of all the confusion lost in the midst of the middle of the poem. The father loves his son and waltzes him to bed and the boy, loving his father, slings to his shirt to stay with him. The poem expresses the confusion and complexity created in a relationship such as this one between father and son, but at the end, the confusion is unnecessary and what prevails is not the negatives, but instead the positive aspect of

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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

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The first two lines of the poem paint a picture that play to our sense of smell, “The whiskey on your breath. Could make a small boy dizzy.” (1-2) His father is obviously inebriated past

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Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” unfolds the seemingly frequent event of a young boy receiving a beating from his drunken father. The speaker of the poem is a young man, possibly in his early teenage years. This conclusion is based upon line 2, “Could make a small boy dizzy.” This line gives an indication that the main character of the poem has been involved in this type of tussle since he was a small child. There could also be a very strong connection between the author of the poem and the speaker.

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Figurative Language In My Papa's Waltz

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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.

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My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

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“The whiskey on your breath/Could make a small boy dizzy,” (lines 1 and 2) portrays the father as having drunk a large amount of alcohol, enough to make his son feel dizzy at the scent of his breath. Alcohol is known to cause abuse issues, proving to be one probable cause of the abuse within the father and son’s relationship. “[h]alf of all domestic abuse involve drinking. The relationship between alcohol and child abuse, specifically, is particularly close, with alcohol abuse being a contributing factor to child abuse and child abuse being a contributing factor to adult alcoholism” (Alcohol Rehab Guide). Roethke’s words, “The hand that held my wrist/Was battered on one knuckle,” (lines 9-10) portrays the father’s hand as worn.

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What Is The Theme Of Violence In 'My Papa's Waltz'

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This portrays emotional abuse that explores the possibilities of a toxic father-son dynamic. The line “But I hung on like death” then continues to imply that the father’s careless attitude is hurting the little boy internally. These images give insightful pictures to an unhealthy relationship caused by psychological violence. The speaker then adds a more positive image of dancing with, “Such waltzing was not easy” and “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf,”. Although most associate Waltzing as an enjoyable dance, it is in reality a metaphor that represents the relationship he has with his father.

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Roethke uses both olfactory and visual imagery to give the reader a sense that boy’s father might be intoxicated and clumsy by stating “The whiskey on your breath/could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2). The poem’s visual imagery also indicates that the boy may be in fear of getting hurt by his father’s clumsiness “but I hung on like death” (3). The poet of “My Papa's Waltz” uses several examples of imagery to describe a father and son's close bond by dancing throughout their house playfully, but because the father was drunk, the child was also scared that his father might unintentionally hurt him by his

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531 Words | 3 Pages

In this poem all the son sees is battered knuckles on his father with “palms caked hard by dirt.” This paints a description of an abusive father that does not love his son because if he did love his son he would not hurt him. The father is first introduced with “whiskey on his breath” (line 1) which can be inferred that he is an alcoholic and this creates a negative image that the reader can see and even smell. The son though seems to notice all this, but still seems to love his father and admire him. The waltz represents a repetitive step and in the poem the waltz is his father’s constant abuse and interrupts the sweet idealistic dance.

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