Similarities Between My Papa's Waltz And Ozymandias

The short stories, My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, and Ozymandias by Percy B. Shelley, all incorporate characters who promote the plot. While there are noticeable differences between each poem, the similarities stand. Differences include variances in plot, types of characters, and unique writing style integrated by the authors. Similarities that unite the three poems involve the various characters having a role to further the generality of the plot. 4 Characters within My Papa’s Waltz introduce the vague setting and plotline (Roethke 1). While not explicitly stated, the narrator presents himself through the eyes of a boy who would greet his father home (Roethke 1). Within the poem, the father shows signs of being a habitual drunkard, causing the boy to dislike the smell of alchol (My Papa’s Waltz: Theodore Roethke, 1). The phrase, “With a palm caked hard by dirt,” …show more content…
The mother within the poem frequently displays a stern/negative exterior; she watches with a “countenance that could not unfrown itself” (Roethke, 1) as the boy and father create a kitchen mess. Despite the father continuously hurting the boy- by accident or purpose- the boy continues to hang “on like death” (Roethke, 1) to his father’s person. The characters of My Papa’s Waltz tell the story by described actions and imagery, allowing the reader to form opinions within the ambiguous poem. 8 My Last Duchess displays traits considered of a dramatic monologue. The poem contains three main components: a speaker, a hearer, and occasion (Allingham, 1). Despite the poem titled as My