My Papa's Waltz Literary Devices

In the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, the author, Theodore Roethke, recollects his youth and tangled emotions of fear and unconditional love from his father, who is characterized as brutal uncomfortable, and intoxicated, and a mother, who is unamused and disapproves of the father’s behavior. Roethke conveys a strong bond between a son and a father. Roethke shows a complex relationship with from son who feels frightened and at the same time joyful with his father. The reaction leads to a complicated love relationship. Also, the poem describes the son’s fear and love that he feels towards his family by using literary techniques, such as setting, tone, and imagery, which allows the reader to better understand how Roethke is conveying unconditional love. …show more content…
When the boy describes the drunkenness of his father, this situation emphasizes the father’s lifestyle as a hardworking man, who drinks to relax. As the father approaches the son, the boy feels dizzy; this makes it uncomfortable for son to maintain from the fathers being. From the boy’s perspective, he is too young to understand the cruelty and only sees a strong bond of love and playfulness with the father. Inside the home, where the setting takes place, Roethke mainly set the poem in the kitchen to show that it is where the disruption most takes place. As the father and son’s violent movements cause the pans to fall down from the kitchens shelf, Roethke shows an odd and amusing