Clark 1
Jessica Clark
Professor Lampert
English 1302 135
01 October 2015
Poetry Essay
In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the narrator is remembering a childhood experience that involved his father. The character describes the relationship with his father by using expression and details. The characters feelings can be viewed in different ways, most people see him as a young boy being abused and neglected, and others see him as having a loving relationship with his father.
The first line in the poem, “The whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy” (Clark 706) lets the readers assume that the father could be an alcoholic. The expression of “dizzy” (Clark 706) shows how the boy is getting sick by the smell of the drink, making him feel scared. When the father begins waltzing around the room, the narrator thinks it is “not easy” (Clark 706). The Waltz is known as an elegant and peaceful dance, one that the young boy is experiencing in a wrong and different way. An alcoholic and abusive father becomes clearer to the readers in the line “The hand that held my wrist was batter on one knuckle.” (Clark 706) The boy once again is experiencing a painful time with his father. Expression and details help reveal the emotions and fear in the boys actions around his father.
The characters feelings can also be viewed as a special connection …show more content…
When the two are dancing around in the kitchen “we romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (Clark 706) they were just having a lot of fun, being boys, and being rough. In the last few lines, the speaker says: “Then waltzed me off to bed, still clinging to your shirt” (Clark 706). The father dances with his son to all the way to his bed, and the boy could be enjoying time with his dad so he doesn’t want it to end. If readers view the characters feelings in a positive way, they could see that the narrator is not afraid of his father, instead he is just enjoying time with his loving
Jessica Clark
Professor Lampert
English 1302 135
01 October 2015
Poetry Essay
In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the narrator is remembering a childhood experience that involved his father. The character describes the relationship with his father by using expression and details. The characters feelings can be viewed in different ways, most people see him as a young boy being abused and neglected, and others see him as having a loving relationship with his father.
The first line in the poem, “The whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy” (Clark 706) lets the readers assume that the father could be an alcoholic. The expression of “dizzy” (Clark 706) shows how the boy is getting sick by the smell of the drink, making him feel scared. When the father begins waltzing around the room, the narrator thinks it is “not easy” (Clark 706). The Waltz is known as an elegant and peaceful dance, one that the young boy is experiencing in a wrong and different way. An alcoholic and abusive father becomes clearer to the readers in the line “The hand that held my wrist was batter on one knuckle.” (Clark 706) The boy once again is experiencing a painful time with his father. Expression and details help reveal the emotions and fear in the boys actions around his father.
The characters feelings can also be viewed as a special connection …show more content…
When the two are dancing around in the kitchen “we romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (Clark 706) they were just having a lot of fun, being boys, and being rough. In the last few lines, the speaker says: “Then waltzed me off to bed, still clinging to your shirt” (Clark 706). The father dances with his son to all the way to his bed, and the boy could be enjoying time with his dad so he doesn’t want it to end. If readers view the characters feelings in a positive way, they could see that the narrator is not afraid of his father, instead he is just enjoying time with his loving