In “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers perspective. It is a great poem that can give different ideas to different people. Some people believe that this poem has a hidden message of parental abuse. But other people think that this poem is one of happy moment shared between father and son. According to the images and language, the symbols and tone, in the poem gave me the clue of the love between father and son, not of an abusive relationship. As a reader, I can see, a son who wanted to spend some quality time with his father before his bed and probably does not get enough time to spend together.
Firstly, the tone of the poem is an accurate reflection of feelings which ties the father and son in an implied relationship. In general, readers can find the tone is either joyful or sad. As the poem consists of many sides of the tone. Growing up consists of realizing how childhood experiences made impressions on us as adults. Since, the poem is written in adult age, in way mature thoughts and feelings are displayed rather than childish ones. To me, the speaker just trying to hide and impose his adulthood’s frustration on his childhood memories. …show more content…
The pleasant rhythm created by Roethke which makes the poem sound short and sweet to me. The rhyme of the poem further trances the reader into a sad and painful believing tone of the poem. However, this rhyme and rhythm is deceiving. In the poem there is something not quite sound with pleasant memory in the harsh sounds. But the rhythmic tone brings repetition in which the rhyming words are not completely identical such as “dizzy” and “easy” (Roethke 2,4). These insignificant limitations reflect the speaker’s feelings towards his father. Although he has unconditional love for his father, that love cannot disguise those
Firstly, the tone of the poem is an accurate reflection of feelings which ties the father and son in an implied relationship. In general, readers can find the tone is either joyful or sad. As the poem consists of many sides of the tone. Growing up consists of realizing how childhood experiences made impressions on us as adults. Since, the poem is written in adult age, in way mature thoughts and feelings are displayed rather than childish ones. To me, the speaker just trying to hide and impose his adulthood’s frustration on his childhood memories. …show more content…
The pleasant rhythm created by Roethke which makes the poem sound short and sweet to me. The rhyme of the poem further trances the reader into a sad and painful believing tone of the poem. However, this rhyme and rhythm is deceiving. In the poem there is something not quite sound with pleasant memory in the harsh sounds. But the rhythmic tone brings repetition in which the rhyming words are not completely identical such as “dizzy” and “easy” (Roethke 2,4). These insignificant limitations reflect the speaker’s feelings towards his father. Although he has unconditional love for his father, that love cannot disguise those