...In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, many readers will have many different interpretations of the poem. The most stereotypical are between child abuse on the author from the father and recalling a memory with his father dancing. The context of word choice Theodore Roethke used for this poem are simple but complex enough to cause different views towards the poem while also creating imagery of what can, again be, many radically different views. In a literally analysis form, Roethke uses even the smallest amount of detail such as the title and even the number of stressed words per line to emphasize the memory with his father. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke uses word choice, imagery, and certain literary forms through his work of literature to show that every good or bad memory with the family will always stay and never fade away in any way, shape, or form. One of the main things that Roethke uses in his poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is word choice. His diction throughout the poem is simple but still strong enough to cause arguments of today’s mindset in readers because the words used in the poem can...
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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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...Janessa Dirawatun CRN 15732 Poetry (1) 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...
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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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..."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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...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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...resented. In, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, and in “Photograph of My Father” in His Twenty-Second Year by Raymond Carver, all the narrators have a relationship with their fathers. The narrators describe the negative memories of their father of either: drinking, being abusive, being fearful, or being a negative role model but, all still find the love for their fathers. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” the narrator describes his father as a drinker, “the whiskey on your breath” (line 1). The narrator wasn’t happy with his drinking, it made him feel sick, “Could make a small boy dizzy” (2) Similar to the narrator in “Photograph of My Father in His Twenty-Second Year,” demonstrates he was bothered and ashamed of his father, “I study my father’s embarrassed young man’s face. / Sheepish grin, he holds in one hand a sting/ of spiny yellow perch, in the other/ a bottle of Carlsbad beer” (lines 2-5). Both narrators have a negative memory of their fathers drinking. Different from the other narrators, in “Those Winter Sundays,” the narrator has a negative memory of his father calling him, “When the rooms were warm, he’d call,/ and slowly I would rise and dress, /fearing the chronic angers of that house” (lines 7-9). All the narrators had negative memories of their fathers. All three narrators had role model figure from their fathers. “In My Papa’s Waltz,” the narrator describes his father as being abusive, “The hand that held my wrist/ Was battered...
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...Elements of sound can be described as devices that are used by poets to reinforce meaning and themes into poetry. Poets can use sound devices such as alliteration, the repetition of two or more consonant sounds in successive words in a line of a verse or prose (Kennedy and Gioia, 2052) or rime, which is when two or more words that contain identical or similar vowel sound (Kennedy and Gioia, 2074). In the two pieces “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke the poets use a combination of rime, rhythm and meter to get the poem’s meaning across. The poem “We Real Cool” uses rhythm, the pattern of stresses and pauses in a poem, to get across the poet Gwendolyn Brooks’ theme. “We Real Cool” is about a group of boys that should be in school but decide to skip to go do something that is considered “cool”. Brooks uses an imitative tone while simultaneously, questioning of a group of the boys in a pool hall’s lives. Questions come up like “What are they doing here?” and “Shouldn’t they be in school?” but the bigger question is how do they feel about their lives. The poem implies the message that the boys in this pool hall are unhappy with their everyday lives, so they feel the need to pretend to be something else, something “cooler”. By using certain elements of sound Brooks shows the readers that she believes that these boys in the pool hall are trying to be something they are not. The poem also gives the reader a feeling of nostalgia. It brings the...
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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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...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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...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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...Jose Santos English 1102 Dr. Hopkins 6 April 2014 Remembering a Good Father Theodore Roethke was a great American poet in the 20th century. He had a very bad child hood having his father die while Roethke was 12 years old which helped establish his creative side of his life. Roethke also attended the University of Michigan and later attended Harvard. He taught English at some universities but while teaching at the University of Michigan he devolved manic depression which helped fuel his poetic side. In Roethke’s poem “My Papas Waltz” Roethke is remembering his dead father. He is remembering how he and his father would play and rough house when his father would come home. This poem is said to have a dual meaning, but it really depends on the reader’s perspective. The poem was written to show the love Roethke and his father had, he shows it by the imagery, rhyme scheme, similes, metaphors, irony. Roethke’s poem “My papas waltz” has some ambiguity in it towards what it means. The poem is about Roethke remembering his father when he was a child. The poem is meant to be took in a positive way because Roethke’s father was a working man trying to provide for his family, “with a pam caked hard by dirt” shows that his father was a working man (page 583 line 14). The poem can also have a negative meaning to it because of some of the violence taking action in the poem such as “you beat time on my head” (page 583 line 13). The poem depicts some form of child abuse but the poem...
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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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...Such Waltzing Was Not Easy The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke portrays a father/son relationship between the narrator and his father who died of cancer when Roethke was in high school. Most readers would presume that the little boy admired his father, despite his faulty qualities, alcohol being the most prominent one, and wrote this as a tribute to him. The first stanza provides the readers with an image of the boy being content while waltzing with his father, no matter the circumstances: 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 us that the little boy craves his father’s attention, and enjoys the time he has with him. However, as...
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...skin deep. 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...
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