...The Waltz and Spring divided by poetic expresions Writers often devote a poem to their childhood, since every author has experienced this in a different way the poems about this topic can be written in various tones and styles. ‘In-Just’ by Cummings and ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ by Roethke both describe a memory of the speaker’s childhood, although Cummings ‘In-Just’ illustrates a positive memory ,whereas, Roethke’s description is rather negative. This difference in meaning between the two poems is created by the different use of poetic expressions. Firstly, the difference in forms of figurative language. Furthermore, the metre and rhythm of the two poems differ significantly from one other. Thirdly, the use of tone throughout the poems. Lastly, the use of perspective in both poems. Although the writers used the same poetic expressions, they both use these expressions in their own way which creates the contrast between the two poems. The poems contain different forms of figurative language. Whereas the poem ‘In-Just’ by E.E. Cummings does not contain a real form of figurative language, instead it includes various examples of alliteration, the poem of Roethke contains similes as well as metaphors. For example, in line three of ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ the author uses the simile ;”But I hung on like death:”(3), this simile is used by the author to set the atmosphere for the rest of the poem. Death is a simile showing how hard the boy needs to work to hang on to his drunken father...
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...The Current Motions William Stafford’s poem “Ask Me” and Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” are two literary poems that use characteristics of everyday things to identify the emotion of the characters. Stafford’s piece expresses his life through the form of a river, while Roethke explains the relationship between a father and a son through a dance. The reader can depict how both authors use the movements of a river and a dance to express their inner-feelings. In Stafford’s poem, the river currents are understood to express life’s intermediate changes between highs and lows, through the past, present, and future. Roethke describes the Waltz between the father and son as a persistent movement that signifies both the emotional and physical issues that lie within their relationship. “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Ask Me” are similar through the complexity of emotions that the narrator goes through by using the key elements imagery, symbolism, and tone. These two literary pieces purposely run through the mix of emotions to change the reader’s perception of the poem from the beginning till the end. Throughout both literary poems, the authors provide imagery through words that have visual representation but very little description. The reader is taken into a state of mind where they can paint a picture in their head of what scenery the narrator is in. The imagery throughout the poems is important because they reflect the overall emotion of the poem and the narrators take on the situation...
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...Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” and Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” explores this theme of the gilded side of humanity. Roethke opens “My Papa’s Waltz” through the eyes of a small boy, lending an initial tone of naivety and innocence. This mood is reinforced through his use of rhyme scheme, which adds to the childish effect. However, this feeling is quickly subverted, as a more sinister interpretation can be seen midway through the poem. The boy describes, “The hand that held my wrist/Was battered on one knuckle;/At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a buckle.” (9-13), leading the reader to question what the actual meaning behind this “waltz” is. The minor mentioning of the unhappy mother, as well as the phrase, “But I hung on like death:” (3) is suddenly relevant; it suggests that the father may be an abusive alcoholic, deviating from the prior assumption that he was simply a happy drunk spending time with his son. This shift in reader interpretation can also be attributed to Roethke’s unique word choice. Take for example the word “waltz,” which is used exclusively in the beginning and ending stanzas of the poem. A waltz is often linked with tranquility and lightheartedness, viewed by many as a wholesome sort of dance. Roethke plays off of this initial association by implementing words with negative connotations, such as “battered,” “scraped,” and “beat.” These words sharply contrast with the audience’s expectations of a waltz, thus forcing them...
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...From abuse to carelessness, poems “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke both convey a sense of violence from the parent towards the son. Both poems implicate a potential abusive past of the abusers, similarly, which can be the cause of their acts of violence. The physical abusive, however, is not shown to be uncommon but to be very frequent. Although the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” persuades a precious father-son moment, its literal focus is predominantly on the father’s drunken aggression towards the boy. The speaker’s experience in these two poems are each described in different ways, but both with the suspicion of undeserving punishment of abuse. “The Whipping” and “My Papa’s Waltz” show immense differences...
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...Reading response to a poem ENG 125 October 29, 2012 "My Papa's Waltz”, by Theodore Roethke, is a fascinating poem. It is one that provokes its reader to have different emotion and interpretation. “My Papa’s Waltz” was written in first person narrative and provides tons of rhythm and symbolism. This poem displays a moment in the life of a father and son. “My Papa’s Waltz” has a known rhythm that brings to mind the type of dance that is symbolized in the title. Recognizing the character was easy because the author used “I” for first person narrative which endorsed the reader to communicate to what Roethke, the author was intending for his reader to understand passionately. Roethke used the introduction of the poem to set the tone and setting for the story to follow. “The whiskey on your breath” was the first entry verse. Immediately, it reminded me of a familiar story my wife shares about her childhood. The method in which the poem is written opens the door of vagueness regarding the father true state of mind. The child's father appeared as being forceful to his son while the son is frightened by his father drunkenness. The author wanted his reader to understand that whatever the frame of mind a parent is in, they have all the power and the child has to obey. It is clear that the author wanted to provoke his reader with a bit of remembrance of truthfulness by constructing the poem in a first person narrative. The father also has power over his wife who does...
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..."My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is one of my favorite poems. It is one that gives each reader different emotion and interpretation. “My Papa’s Waltz” was written in a first person narrative and provides rhythm and symbolism. This poem displays a very relatable storey about the relationship between a son and his father. It has a known rhythm that brings to mind the type of dance that is symbolized in the title. Recognizing the character was easy because the author used “I” for first person narrative which helps the reader to communicate to what the author was intending his reader to understand. Roethke used the introduction of the poem to set the tone and setting for the story to follow. “The whiskey on your breath” Roethke T. (1942) was the first verse entry and immediately the reader can feel for the little boy thinking of what it would be like to have a drunken father. The method in which the poem is written opens the door of vagueness regarding the father’s state. The child's father was seen as being forceful to his son; while the son is frightened of his father drunkenness. The author wanted his reader to understand that whatever frame of mind a parent is in they have all the power and the child has to obey. It’s clear that the author wanted to provoke his reader with bit of remembrance of truthfulness by constructing the poem in first person narrative. The mention of the father and son romping around the room may seem rather harmless however the dance...
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...more stable life and mindset. Both My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke and Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden display father and son relationships. These poems have complications in the relationship between the two, but My Papa’s Waltz is a more negative complication. Those Winter Sundays shows more of a misunderstanding from the son’s point of view. Negative complications help emphasise how important a healthy relationship between a father and son is. My Papa’s Waltz shows a conflicting relationship between father and son. The boy seems to love his father. This is evidenced by the boy...
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...In today’s world, our past experiences tremendously affect the way we interpret different situations, Theodore Roethke wrote a poem titled “My Papa’s Waltz.” This poem has a multitude of differing interpretations. For example, those of us who grew up with a terrible childhood might think of a boy being abused by his father; however, others who enjoyed their childhood memories with their father may interpret the poem to be about a father and son having fun together while dancing. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke wrote “My Papa’s Waltz” to help his readers to visualize the abusive relationship between a father and his son. In fact, the imagery, word choice, and syntax that Roethke provides readers points to abuse. Roethke purposefully chooses words with negative connotations. Instead, most people would consider his diction bone-chilling or depressing. One example of negative language the author uses in the poem is,“But I hung on like death.” The author could’ve chosen a much kinder metaphor, one that sets a happy tone; instead, he chooses to compare “dancing” with his father something deadly. This kind of diction leads...
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...My Papa’s Waltz The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” can easily be interpreted in two different ways. Before our class discussion, I was convinced that this was a somber poem that expressed a son’s love for his father, despite his father’s alcoholism and abusive ways. Although the poem states playful interactions between the father and son, the majority of the poem focuses on the father’s drunken aggression towards the boy. After discussing the poem in class, I realized, it is about a young boy, remembering a night with his father when they danced around the house aggressively. With this analysis, there is no intentional abuse on the father’s part, yet there is clear evidence of alcoholism, (“The whiskey on your breath”). Now I believe the poem is about that of my second interpretation, but both interpretations are satisfactory. There is a wide amount of evidence that, “My Papa’s Waltz,” is the story a young boy revealing the trouble he has lived through with his alcoholic father, while still possessing a great love for his dad. The boy would then be the narrator of “My Papa’s Waltz” and thus the son of an alcoholic father. It is easy to focus on the physical abuse, and anger the father has, which was targeted at the boy. In the first line of the poem, the son is speaking to his dad and says, “The whiskey on your breath/could make a small boy dizzy.” The son is telling his father, that his drinking is a problem, and the boy is worried. In the next line, he says...
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...Theodore Roethke is the author of the poem titled "My Papa's Waltz." Roethke is the speaker in the poem and is talking to his father. As he goes through the poem, he talks about the abuse, his mother's reaction, how he could not let go because the man was his father, and how he seems to have mixed feelings about his relationship with him. The author used interesting word choices to make the poem have multiple meanings depending on how someone would interpret it. The first-person speaker and his father have a complex relationship surrounded by an abusive relationship and a mixture of love and fear, yet the speaker does not resent his father. Throughout the poem the father abuses the son, the speaker. Lines 5 and 6 could be interpreted to say the father is being excessively violent towards the son which causes pans to fall off shelves. Lines 9 and 10 also seem to allude to the fact the father hits his son by mentioning the "battered knuckle." A child would be scared to be hit especially if it is their own father and the child is young as he says in the poem. Line 13 says "you beat time on my head." This line could be seen as anytime the speaker was late he would get hit in the head by his father. While the son faces the abuse of his father, he does not appear to...
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...“My Papa’s Waltz” “Recalling days of sadness, memories haunt me. Recalling days of happiness, I haunt my memories”. Many childhood memories are remembered as fun and joyful, the time without a care in the world. The speaker, which is the young boy in Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, recalls a time out of his childhood that involved him and his father during family time at home one evening. A strong bond of love and playfulness between father and son is shown thru Roethke’s recollection of personal childhood memories. The poem takes place at the family’s home on a quiet evening. The father comes home after a hard day’s work which is where Roethke states, “With a palm caked hard by dirt” (line 14) suggests that the father is a blue collar hard working man who provides for his family and puts the food on the table every night. Since he works so much and does not want to come home bitter and exhausted and complain about his long day, he rewards himself with a bit of alcohol. The speakers reveals, “The whiskey on your breath, Could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2). One might get the impression that the father came home drunk out of his mind, but what those two lines say to me is after having a drink or two, or maybe he drank at home, he was in such a good mood that he started waltzing with his son. Also since the father was such a hard worker and most likely was a big fellow, his son mentions the whiskey breath which would be too strong for him but does not make him seem...
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...Explication “My Papa’s Waltz” was written in 1948 by a man named Theodore Roethke. This poem is about a young boy who has to live and deal with a father who beats him, or as metaphorically stated in the poem “waltzes” with him. There is a lot of meaning behind the title of this poem. “My” implies that this is something he takes ownership of, “Papa’s” shows that he loves his father but there is something the father has going on or has to deal with, and “Waltz” is a metaphor for the rampage his father goes through every time he comes home drunk. This poem has four stanzas with four lines in each stanza. It is written in tri-meter time and has a rhyme scheme of a-b-a-b. This is one of the simplest writing styles in poetry. It was written in such a simple format in order for the audience/reader to interpret easily. He wanted everyone to understand that his father was abusive and for you to get it immediately without him saying it out right. In the last two lines in the 2nd stanza the author uses personification to show the mother’s disapproval of the situation saying that her “countenance could not unfrown.” This enhances the meaning of the poem because it shows that the mother doesn’t like what’s going on but just sits there and watches, maybe crying a little, because she knows that what’s going on is wrong but she has no chance standing up to the drunken man. Almost to say that she cares but she’s scared and doesn’t want to get hurt herself either. This poem is literally...
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..."My Papa's Waltz" ENG/125 March 28, 2011 "My Papa's Waltz" My Papa’s Waltz is a fairly straightforward poem written in iambic triameter. The last word of the first and third line of each quatrain rhyme as does the last word of the second and fourth line. This poem is a reflection of an event in the life of a little boy, and because of the rhyming style of poem, it is clear it is written from a child’s perspective. The little boy recalls an experience dancing a waltz with his father in their home. Although there are many opinions circulating about whether or not his was a positive experience, I think it was. I think this is a memory of a small boy cavorting with his father. The first stanza tells the reader that the father has had perhaps too much whiskey to drink. The boy says that the smell of his father’s breath made him dizzy. This must mean that the boy is very familiar with his father in this drunken state. This does not necessarily mean that the boy was traumatized by this event, just simply that he knows his father has had some whiskey to drink. He recalls that he had to hang on tight and that it was not easy for him to hold on to his father during this waltz. The waltz is typically a slow ballroom dance in three-quarter time that give the impression that the dancers are gliding around the room. The boy’s dance with his father is hardly gliding around a room considering the boy says he “hung on like death” (Barnet, Burto, & Cain, 2011, p. 786). ...
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...Overlook Everyone has memorable moments from their childhood. Some of them merry and others are quite the opposite. Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” is a quatrain poem about a memory of a boy waltzing with his father. The speaker is now a grown man writing this as a memory. In the poem, he relates his relationship with his father to a "waltz." The author's childhood unfolds as the "waltz" is performed. In this performance, the diction the author uses allows the reader to have many perspectives of the poem. This poem can be viewed in two ways. One way to look at this poem is that the young boy is having fun with his father waltzing. Some, on the other hand, believe this is a poem about rough housing his son. There are examples for both agreements throughout the poem. I can clearly see the positive loving side of the son in admiration to his faulty father. This poem was written in the 1940’s which remains a controversial decade that created the welfare state, bred a culture of immorality and self-indulgence. Young adults urged people to explore alternative patterns of work and domesticity. They disputed paths to deeper fulfillment, even those involving illicit drugs, could be justified, believing they were creating a new America. Taking that into account, Roethke’s father character is more understood being from this time period. When Theodore was only fourteen, his father passed, leaving him with a wound and a sense of dissatisfaction that he was able to relieve only...
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...“My Papa’s Waltz” vs “Those Winter Sunday’s” Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, and Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sunday’s” are two hearts felt poems that are somewhat similar about respected fathers. In these two poems, both authors take an admiring look back at some of the most memorable actions of their fathers. It is clearly implied that their fathers were not perfect by any means, but deeply loved. The authors wanted us to see how much their fathers loved them, but by reading these poems, the love was expressed differently. Although there was unconditional love shown, I feel as if both Roethke and Hayden are expressing painful wounds and unmet needs by their fathers. In Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, he wants the readers to understand a very heart breaking and traumatic situation that he encountered with his father in his earlier stages. From reading the poem, it is obvious that his father was a habitual drunkard. The “Waltz” that is mentioned in the story, is a sentimental dance that is shared between Roethke and his father. It is stated, “The Whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death.” From personal experience, the harsh smell of...
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