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Of The Poem My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

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Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is about a young boy who has to deal with a father who has drinking problems and is violent. The poem reads as almost negative as one starts to notice certain parts of the poem seem to be violent and show the father as almost a drunkard. “My Papa’s Waltz” is about the negative relationship between a father and his son because of the mention of alcohol, the use of the word “waltzing” in the poem, and the father beating the son. The mention of alcohol in the poem is when Roethke writes, “The whiskey on your breath” (line 1). This one line at the beginning of the poem already sets up the relationship in a negative way, because that seems to be the first thing that the persona of this poem remembers about …show more content…

Roethke writes, “You beat time on my head” (13). This line is followed by, “With a palm caked hard by dirt” (14). The use of these two lines shows that the father was strict sense he seemed to want the son to do things exactly how he wanted them. In dances like the waltz one has to do certain steps at certain times in order to perform it right. The father seems to almost be trying to train the persona of the poem to do things exactly as he says. The reason that this has negative effect on the boy is because he does not even realize that his father is not treating him right. Roethke writes, “Still clinging to your shirt” (16). This line shows that the young boy still stayed near his father even though the father was being abusive to him. This just goes to show that the persona of the poem thought that this sort of behavior was normal from a parent. “My Papa’s Waltz” highlights the ways a young person sees a parent who is stern and somewhat abusive. When children are young they are oftentimes shaped by their circumstances, and it seems perfectly logical to believe that the persona of this poem had no idea until he was much older, just how negative of an impact his father had on him. The alcoholic, abusive, and confusing situations in the poem should lead one to believe that the relationship between father and son in the poem is problematic, however, there is still love in the relationship, which just makes

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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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1047 Words | 5 Pages

However, the speaker hears the father’s singing as “a children’s song,” which are often characterized as simple-minded (9). Since the line “my shoulder against his” demonstrates the speaker to be the same height as the father and therefore also an adult, the speaker could initially consider his father’s straight-forward attempt at a connection to be either too simple for what attention he should be given now that he is grown-up (11). The speaker believes the father should have tried for this connection when he was still a child rather than “now” (8). These negative attitudes at the beginning of the stanza, allows the speaker to create a shift for the audience with the next phrase, “I lean into him” (9). The audience sees the speaker ignoring his gut, giving into his want to form a relation with his father.

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666 Words | 3 Pages

Both Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Langston Hughe’s “Po’ Boy Blues” present Walter Lee Younger and the speaker of the poem as men with similar stories, however both reach different conclusions with their struggles. Both men at the start of their stories have hopes and dreams. Later, their trust is betrayed and they lose their thoughts of happiness. However, at the end, Walter is able to regain his determination to keep fighting and surviving, while the narrator of the poem is unable. Both protagonists believe in their dreams, and have high hopes for the future.

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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

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563 Words | 3 Pages

A father and son romping around in the kitchen as the mother is looking. While others may view this poem as a family torn by a father's misfortunes. In line 1, the word “Whiskey” gives some characteristics of the fathers crooked ways. Continuing on, the signs of foul play and roughness with his hands, "battered on one knuckle", and "a palm caked hard by dirt".(11-14) More so, some of “Papa” few escapes most likely consist of a drink when he gets home from a rough day. Concluding, “Papa”makes his own family feel very uncomfortable around him.

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764 Words | 4 Pages

Roethke’s My Papas Waltz Many literary scholars, researchers and readers in general, driven by intrigue, have tried to dissect, analyze, and interpret the ambiguous meaning of Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz.” Their explications however, result in ambivalent, and sometimes controversial views. Some critics argue that “My Papas Waltz,” portrays the physical violence inflicted by a father to his child.

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437 Words | 2 Pages

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” could be taken as just a boy dancing with his father who may be a little drunk. To me though, this is not the case, but rather it is a coated view of child abuse. The line “My mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself.” is one that is very interesting. (552) To me, this line is the mother being worried about what is going to happen to her son.

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902 Words | 4 Pages

The relationship between father and son is one that is both sacred, yet complex as each side of the relationship faces hardships. This relationship between a son and his role model, a father and his child, is one, has its ups, but one must also know it has downs. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke’s use of ambiguity through diction allows room for the audience to interpret the text in a positive or a negative way, representing the relationship between a father and a son, which on the outside can be interpreted in an either positive or a negative way. Roethke’s use of diction creates an element of confusion for the audience of his poem.

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846 Words | 4 Pages

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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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.

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898 Words | 4 Pages

“We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf;” (5-6) we already know that the father has been drinking, Roethke’s diction leaves little to the imagination but chosen carefully have put together an educated form of rough play. We also witness in the next two lines that the mother is not at all happy about the situation, “my mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself.” (7-8) If there is a positive message from this poem, we do not see it any longer. There is no mention of the mother helping; there is just an image of a mother standing back letting the waltz

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1237 Words | 5 Pages

Although one may misinterpret the first paragraph, “the whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy” (Line 1- 4), it means that, despite the fact that the father was slightly drunk, he was capable of waltzing with his son, albeit clumsily. He was excitedly frolicking with his son and certainly not pummeling him as some readers may think. Lines in the second stanza, “we romped until the pans, slid from the kitchen shelf; my mother’s countenance, could not unfrown itself” (Line 5-8), suggests that the child was clearly enthusiastic about the waltz only to the penitence of his concerned mother. To further suggest that the poem is written as a warm nostalgic memory, the author employs a waltzing tune and

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485 Words | 2 Pages

An extremely common interpretation of the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is that the father in this poem is abusive and a drunk. People make this interpretation because of some of the words used in the poem to describe the events of an evening. An example of these words is “The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy.” This shows that the father smells strongly of alcohol. An example that is used to show the abusive side is when Roethke states “You beat time on my head.”

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784 Words | 4 Pages

“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden has much significance throughout it, the poem is generally about an adult reflecting back to his childhood having regrets for not appreciating his father's love. Hayden describes a father to son relationship for the reader. This poem can be similar to the quote “ you don’t what you’ve got until it's taking away” Hayden uses imagery, diction, and emotional appeal to make it relatable to the readers. Hayden writes this poem figuratively using imagery to provide the reader with a vivid ideal for example “Blueback cold” shows imagery of how cold those winter Sundays really were, and “Blueblack cold can also be used metaphorically here to describe the bruise on the child heart from the feeling of thinking he was unloved throughout his childhood. All love is shown in a different manner you just have to understand the

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1142 Words | 5 Pages

The poem really expresses how one mother values her son, and tells you how kids grow up to fast and she believes that her little boy cannot handle the challenges life throws at you. At the end of poem, the mom is surprised that her son learns to get out of the chains and get past the challenges he has been through. Families will always have a strong bond and it can never be broken, no matter what life throws at your family, you will always get though it and find new ways to make your relationship even stronger. Later in life as the kids get older, they learn that their mom will not always be there for you, so they start to get close with their mom and they realize all the wonderful things your mom did for you.

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