Kent Nerburn once said, “It is much easier to become a father than to be one.” A great father is a person that puts a child above their own selfish needs and desires. There are times when fathers will make mistakes and poor decisions, but this is not an excuse to be a bad parent. A father should be more than a provider and protector. He is man that is caring, present, reliable, loving, and overall a positive example. When a child grows up, he or she will reflect and remember the type of person he was. The speakers in these two poems describe their memories and are reflecting back their father’s actions. In the poems “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the speakers, view their fathers as
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In the poem, the speaker remembers his hands are battered and his palms are covered with dirt (lines 10 and 14). This describes that he works in an outside job and his hands are damaged. Certainly, the dirt on his hands shows that he works in an agriculture job. Also, the speaker mentions the father’s imperfection in the poem. The first stanza states, that the father’s breathe smells like Whiskey (line 1). This means he is an alcoholic and there is a possibility that he drinks all the time. The author also writes that, the son’s right ear is getting scraped by his father’s buckle (line 12). This also states, that the father is hurting and injuring his child, and they are waltzing in a roughly manner. When a person is under the influence of alcohol, the individual is not completely aware of their surroundings. He was also a father that likes to demonstrate love in a strange way. Theodore Roethke also writes “then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt” (lines 15-16). In other words, the style of dancing was not a great experience, but the speaker did not want to let go of his father. Even though the speaker was getting injured, this was a fun experience. The style of waltzing with his child was his way of showing his love and affection. Waltzing was a way of telling him I love my sweet
In the poem, the speaker remembers his hands are battered and his palms are covered with dirt (lines 10 and 14). This describes that he works in an outside job and his hands are damaged. Certainly, the dirt on his hands shows that he works in an agriculture job. Also, the speaker mentions the father’s imperfection in the poem. The first stanza states, that the father’s breathe smells like Whiskey (line 1). This means he is an alcoholic and there is a possibility that he drinks all the time. The author also writes that, the son’s right ear is getting scraped by his father’s buckle (line 12). This also states, that the father is hurting and injuring his child, and they are waltzing in a roughly manner. When a person is under the influence of alcohol, the individual is not completely aware of their surroundings. He was also a father that likes to demonstrate love in a strange way. Theodore Roethke also writes “then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt” (lines 15-16). In other words, the style of dancing was not a great experience, but the speaker did not want to let go of his father. Even though the speaker was getting injured, this was a fun experience. The style of waltzing with his child was his way of showing his love and affection. Waltzing was a way of telling him I love my sweet