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.
Roethke uses a confused tone to show the reader how the little boy is confusing his father’s dark actions with a misleading waltz. After the beating/abuse the father gave, his son it is now time for bed. The dad takes him to his bedroom, but since the dad is still