ipl-logo

The Meaning Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

1430 Words6 Pages

Theodore Roethke’s poem ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ always inspires many conflicting and interesting opinions from readers concerning the author’s intended meaning when penning down the poem. Despite the poem being fairly brief, it is evident that the poet made clever use of rhythm, which initiate elaborate and emotional conversations about what the poem could possibly mean. There are many opinions about what Theodore meant in the poem.
Some are of the opinion that the poem is a reflection of alcoholism and child abuse. Many condemn the father in the poem for allegedly inflicting pain upon the young boy. A second group thinks that the poem is simply an elegiac tribute of a son to his father and denotes playfulness and love between the father and his …show more content…

The title of the poem where the poet uses the word ‘papa’ to refer to his father sets an affectionate mood. If there was no affection between them, the poet would instead have used more formal words such as father or old man. The bond between them seems very close and they play with each other from when the father comes home to the last stanza when the father takes the son to bed. When the father comes home, despite smelling terribly of whisky, the son still clings on to him. If the father was abusive towards him, the son would not have run to him when he came home. However, he loves his father very much and still wants to play with him and be close to him no matter how pungent he …show more content…

According to the dictionary, to waltz is when a pair dances around rhythmically all over the dance floor. The title of the poem is ‘my papa’s waltz’ and he again says ‘such waltzing was not easy’. Thus, despite the father being drunk and presumably staggering and with little stability, he still struggled to dance with his son all over the place. This shows the affection and close bond between them. The pans slid from the shelf to the floor because of all the playing the two were doing

Show More
Related

Why Does Theodore Roethke Use Ambiguous Language

119 Words | 1 Pages

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

Read More

Comparing Poems 'Those Winder Sundays And' The Possessive

932 Words | 4 Pages

he explains how his father’s motive for loving him and raising becomes a challenge for the son to accept, because of his adolescent behavior and likewise in Sharon Old’s poem “The Possessive” the narrator would describe how uncomfortable she felt when she her daughter grow up too fast. Both poems use a narrative that suggest that there are

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Literary Devices

551 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of the poem Roethke describes what a child thinks about their father’s life. “The whiskey on your breath / could make a small boy dizzy; / But I hung on like death:/ Such waltzing was not easy”. The first stanza shows the way the child describes this father’s life. The first two lines talk about, “whiskey” and, “make a small boy dizzy” this shows that people like the child 's father cannot take such a difficult life like the child 's father does.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays

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

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Devices Analysis

563 Words | 3 Pages

Although “Papa” may not be the most sensitive man around, but he is still to be a hero in his son's eyes. Referring from the title of “My Papa’s Waltz”, “Papa” does not seem like he’s being violent intentionally but not accidentally hurting his son. This poem also, symbolizes dance in the relationship of a father and

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Meaning

650 Words | 3 Pages

The mother has nothing but a “countenance” expression to the actions the father is doing to his child. It can show that the narrator didn’t know anything better but to love. Although the poem may sound simple and easy to understand, My Papa’s Waltz is really a complex story

Read More

Analysis Of My Papas Waltz By Theodore Roethke

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.

Read More

Connotation In My Papa's Waltz

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.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz Literary Devices

482 Words | 2 Pages

Childhood memories linger long after one’s parents have gone and, though the memories may become clouded, the children often vividly remember the emotions that rested in their hearts. Sometimes, these emotions are negative, causing people to develop methods for dealing with them, such as attempting to see them from a positive perspective. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” the speaker recalls a childhood memory that appears positive on the surface, but literary devices such as diction and imagery reveal the negative nature of the memory. Primarily, the context of “My Papa’s Waltz” appears chipper and playful, however, through Roethke’s use of strong diction, a reader can detect the true dismal roots of the poem.

Read More

My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis

871 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays”, the author’s reflect on how their fathers were hard workers, although each memory is emotionally different. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Roethke remembers his father coming home from work and his hands “Was battered on one knuckle” (Line 10). Even though the father had a long day at work, the boy recounts him coming home and dancing with him. Whereas “Those Winter Sundays”, Hayden recalls his fathers hard work by describing his “Cracked hands that ached/

Read More

Compare And Contrast My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays

1036 Words | 5 Pages

‘’My Papa’s Waltz’’ is about how a father and son don’t have a good relationship because the father is drunk all the time and the phrase ‘’The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy.’’ In this poem, it appears that the son is also drunk and can see the concern on his mothers face as he and his father walk in the kitchen bumping into the shelfs, making the pans fall off. ‘’We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelves.’’ At the end of the poem, the speaker says ‘’You beat time on my head’’ meaning that his father is abusive and hits him, but even though his father does that, he still loves him. We can tell that the tone of this poem is fear because of the way his father is.

Read More

Figurative Language In My Papa's Waltz

588 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Comparing Poems My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays

691 Words | 3 Pages

One symbol in “My Papa’s Waltz” would be the dancing in general. We can easily see that the boy is having a hard time doing that dance. “My right ear scraped a buckle” (line 12). “You beat time on my head” (line 13). Although the dance was difficult for the boy, he still hung on to his father.

Read More

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

664 Words | 3 Pages

In the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke illustrates the complex relationship between a little boy and his father by juxtaposing images of love and violence through word choices that portray feelings of fear yet affection for his father. Roethke’s shifting tone encompasses distress and a sense admiration that suggests the complexities of violence both physically and emotionally for the undercurrents of his father and son relationship. The poem begins with a series of negative images, each of which are considered violent and undesirable in a family. For example, “The whiskey on your breath” suggests alcoholism, and “Could make a small boy dizzy” emphasizes that a boy is suffering from the effects of the alcoholic parent.

Read More

What Is The Tone Of Sylvia Plath's Daddy

304 Words | 2 Pages

“Daddy” was a brutal, venomous, and painful allegory about a victim freeing themselves from their deceased father. Plath uses similes and metaphors to cast the father to several figures like a black shoe, a giant statue, a swastika, and a vampire. The speaker casted themselves as a victim ending up in some strange places like, in a black shoe or in a sack, expressing her pain of not being able to breathe properly and trying to escape. The speaker reveals how the isolation they felt after the death of her father lead to her journey of consuming their own mind into adulthood. As the poem progress the Plath uses a lot of disturbing Holocaust imagery of the violent suffering of the Jews creating a vitriolic tone to express the speaker’s hatred

Read More

More about The Meaning Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

Related Topics

Open Document