Rhetorical Devices In My Papa's Waltz

Decent Essays
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."

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