In "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, the speaker is describing his abusive relationship with his alcoholic father. His father's "waltz" is a metaphor for his drunken beatings. The poem depicts a father chasing his son around the house, while the mother stands and watches dejectfully, unable to stop her husband from his relentless "waltzing."…
Katy Boozer Mrs. Geren English 102-48 March 17, 2017 A Father and Son After first reading and analyzing the poem titled "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, a negative or positive feeling could be shaped. Because of a portion of the words in this poem, it is reasonable why this sort of response could be evoked. Basic speculation allows one to better comprehend what Roethke may truly mean. Throughout the poem, the rhyme scheme, mood, figurative language, the tone of the author, and the possible alternate interpretations of parts of the poem create a story about a young boy and his father in a loving voice.…
The poem, "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, depict a conflict between a father and a son. The son portray his father as a drunk person, and his relationship with his father wasn't a lovely one. They usually waltz, a smooth dance that require close position. The son usually smell whiskey in his father's breath, which mean that the son was somewhat tall or his father short enough. Though they didn't have a close relationship, Roethke never state that he didn't like his father, whether he stated that he hung on like death.…
While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to describe the relationship between him and his father, and a memory they shared together. Roethke made the poem sound as if had two completely different meaning behind it. For example, it can mean that a father and his child are horsing around before bedtime or it can mean that an intoxicated father abuses his child. He wanted to see what us, the audience, had to say when reading the poem.…
The speaker in the poem, the structure of the poem and the elements use throughout the story all make the experience more enjoyable. “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem about a father who has the smell of whiskey on his breath. After consuming maybe a tad too much alcohol he has decided to dance with his child. The dance takes place in the kitchen of their home as the child’s mother looks on disapprovingly. Once the father has finished his dance with his child, they dance once more on the way to bed where the child clings to his father’s shirt not wanting the dance to end.…
Comparing and contrast of “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa’s Waltz” In describing “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke we see that both are reflecting on a childhood experience with their fathers. There is a showing of compassion and understanding in both poems yet fear is also described. The speakers are reflecting back on a past childhood memory with their fathers but we do not understand if they are pleasant or resentment.…
Children usually find their parents invincible. Parents tell a child when to eat, when they can play, and when to as in “My Papa’s Waltz” when to go to sleep. Everything a child does is set by his or her parents. We see a very hands on demonstration of a father power in this poem. He leads his son in a “dance” while the mother stands on the sideline powerless.…
When the reader first analyzes the poem, it naturally comes of as harsh or scary. The first thought that comes to mind is that the drunken father is abusing the child. Although after further analysis of the poem it seems as though that is not the case. The poem doesn’t sound as though it was the happiest memory of the child’s life, but it wasn’t a memory he feared either. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” written by Theodore Roethke, the speaker’s experience seems to be a positive one based on the rhythm and word choice.…
He keeps the house warm by going out to collect wood for the fire in the snow so his child does not have to. The other is a drunken father who dances with his child, creating a bond through the time they spend together. My papa’s waltz is a poem about parents. The poem speaks of a young boy dancing with his drunken father.…
The father in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” waltzed his son, who was still clinging to his shirt, off to bed (Roethke). It is common for parents to tuck in their kids at night, and this father is doing it. Instead of feeling neglected, the little boy is getting the love and care he deserves from his father. The father understands that it is his responsibility to provide love for his son, and he does not neglect that duty.…
In “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke uses an extended metaphor, but uses different language to describe it as the poem is read. “My Papa’s Waltz” has the metaphor of dancing throughout the poem, more correctly, waltzing between a father and son. Everything from the description of the fluidity of the dance to the speakers feeling towards the dance helps create a stronger meaning behind the metaphor. Roethke uses dancing as a metaphor for the relationship between the son and the father, according to the son. Roethke is also able to create a unique atmosphere with his word choice.…
He Loves Me In the poem "My Papa 's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, most readers believe that it is about abuse. Is it possible? Of course it is, it depends on who’s reading the poem and their interpretation of the poem. The use of language, diction, imagery, and symbols, along with the tone helps to influence how readers come to their own conclusion on what the poem is really about.…
“My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke was a famed poem from the nineteen forties. Roethke was an American poet and writer who was best known for his poems that depicted social struggle and class injustice. His works, especially “My Papa's Waltz”, can be critiqued heavily by Marxist critics. The Marxist critic was a specific individual that red deeply into literature, knowing every phrase and word had an inner, or aesthetic meaning. Terry Eagleton, one of the most prolific Marxist critics, can be credited for the development of the concept that literature and ideology be spoken as the one (Leitch 2242).…
While “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those Winter Sundays” differ in the attitudes and tones of their speakers, they are alike in the complex family relationships and themes of familial love, masculinity and sacrifice, and nostalgic youth that they communicate to the reader. A close-reading of the poems, with special attention paid to the speakers and the ideas they are trying to get across, can end up telling far more about Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden than they may like. The speaker in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a small boy having a grand old time waltzing with his father in the kitchen before bed. His father is a little rough with him, keeping time on his noggin and accidently scraping his ear against his belt buckle on every…
Music, itself, is a beautiful sound that induces a background frame of mind. For everyone, the perception of the music is different, as there are ultimately many genres, composers, and albums. After it is listened to, the music affects each person in distinctive ways. Personally, I am one of many people who enjoy listening to music. Music, in general plays a strong role within my life.…