Alcoholism is a serious issue that affects many households across America today. Not only does it affect the person abusing alcohol, but it also affects the family and anyone who the alcoholic may come in contact with. A child of an alcoholic may not fully understand the degree of the problem, but they are aware of the danger that could be imposed on them. “My Papa’s Waltz”, written by Theodore Roethke, is a classic example of parental substance abuse and the effects it has on children.
The speaker in this piece is the child. In the poem, there are multiple occurrences that prove the child is apprehensive with his father and his drunkenness. The father in the piece comes home intoxicated and would like to dance with his son. A Waltz dance is supposed to be a very elegant and joyous dance that joins two people together. However, this dance is far from a pleasant experience and is actually separating the …show more content…
The fathers’ hand being “battered” could be interpreted as blood instead of dirt. He could have possibly been in a prior altercation at the bar he was at before he returned home, thus showing his abusive side. The son is awake past his bedtime and the father is “…beat[ing] time on my head”(13). The hyperbole “beat”, meaning to strike, is very powerful. Roethke could have used an alternative for the word “beat” but chose to use an ominous word showing the severity of the situation. Although the boy seems scared, he must have a loving feeling towards his father if his dad is putting him to bed. Abuse victims usually do still love their abuser despite the situation they are in. The rhyme scheme of the poem is an ABAB sequence within the quatrains. Meaning, every other line rhymes. The B lines have a slant rhyme, because they do not perfectly match. Much like the steps his father is missing, some lines are also out of