My Papa's Waltz Theme

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. Although being comedic the boy is clearly traumatized.

Theodore Roethke was born on May 25, 1908 In Saginaw, Michigan. His father Otto Roethke was a German immigrant, and his mother Helen Huebner they both owned a 25 acre

The themes and symbols of the poem ‘My Papa’s Waltz” from the violence perspective of the poem the poem The Father shows his wrath towards his son, which shows the death and sorrow and the father commits violence by beating the son. The poem also shows imagery with the “Waltz” being a dance, in the poem the father is to drunk to learn the many steps of the dance, so then the father then gets angry and takes it out on his son and mother and abusively beats the son.

One of the many critics Theodore Roethke faced along his career for his many writings was Mark Doty, she quoted “First glance at his poems seem to be uncomfortable and subliminal out cries, they resemble the songs of Shakespearean plays.” Another critic was Marie Anne Pagnattaro, she quoted “ he shows sentimental, joyful, fearful incident of violent abuse at the hands of an alcoholic father.” Theodore Roethke had a way of dealing with his critics and that was to continue writing and expressing his deepest emotions onto paper which is art in