Viennese Waltz

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s waltz” and Susan Musgraves “You didn’t Fit” are two poems that capture the love between a child and their father. While “My Papa’s waltz” illustrates the contrast of love and honor and “You didn’t Fit” illustrates a contrast of nostalgia and affection. In both poems the speakers seem to look back on their childhoods with much love and respect for their fathers. In “My papa’s waltz” it is a poem that is often well-known for having different…

Imagine being a child that loves their father unconditionally. That love is more powerful than thinking of the harm he does is doing to you. “My Papa's Waltz” by Theodore Roethke can be interpreted in multiple ways. The poem could be interpreted as a parent abusing his child due to alcoholism or a child dancing with his father. In the poem, Theodore reminisces about his youth of tangled emotions of fear and unconditional love towards his father besides the imperfections his father has. This poet…

In the poem Papa’s Waltz it was a story about a father and son bond. While I was read in the poem I found some evidence about the father was abusive to his son like in the beginning of the poem when the father came home drunk off of whiskey, on line 1 and 2 they could almost lead father to be violence to his son because he was drunk then I read line 3 when it talking about ‘’death’’ example the hung on like death and how could it be a lovely poem about a father and son relationship but I see in…

d. Three dances that are mentioned within the text are pavane, saltarello, and ronde. Pavane is commonly known as a dance for several couples and steps were in sequence. Royals used this dance customarily to open luxurious ceremonials and to present their royal attire. Before this dance was commenced, the dancers acknowledged the King and Queen while dancing across the room. In this performance, retreating noblemen would lead their maidens by the hand and the ladies would curtsy and do a few…

My Papa's Waltz depicts a family picture also shows the happiness of a family union; it points out a full of responsibility, positive, and the rough image of a father. In this poem, the author recalls the fragments of his childhood with his father; it is also an expression of the author on the death of his father's nostalgia. My Papa's Waltz has a profound meaning. As we know that the waltz is a solemn, elegant, colorful dance. At that time, it could be said to be a kind of aristocratic…

“My Papa’s Waltz”, written by Theodore Roethke, uses strong sentence structure to allow his poem to portray several different interpretations. He is able to use imagery to show the speaker and his father waltzing throughout their house, but is it in a negative or positive way? After I first read this I sensed negative actions taking place, particularly abusive, but after reading the poem a few more times I visualized a more positive perspective. One part about a poem I personally enjoy is it…

My Papa’s Waltz Sometimes memories are more powerful than the events themselves. Theodore Roethke utilized the poetic devices of similes, metaphors, and alliterations to demonstrate a vivid experience of the power of a memory. Theodore Roethke, a well-known poet, wrote a narrative poem called My Papa’s Waltz. The theme of the poem is to cherish memories that occur with your family such as: Dad, Mom, and Grandparents. The subject of the poem is to show that the reader should enjoy the fun…

“My Papa’s Waltz” Author Theodore Roethke wrote “My Papa’s Waltz”. Is a poem where the father is introduced as papa, and son is helping the father once more as they reenact the waltz through the house because he has been drinking too much. The son, and father have a close relationship because he doesn’t call him dad or “father” like most do. The young boy calls him “papa” in the poem as he helps him through the kitchen. Since papa is drunk again, the mom who is also there does not help him, and…

Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz" contains an element of mystery that surrounds the poem. The relationship between the father and son in the story, can be construed as either friendly, or abusive. However, the nature of the relationship between the father and son, is up to the reader to decide. This paper will show evidence from the poem and state both sides of the argument of whether the scene in the house is a fun party with a father dancing with his son, or a dreadful night of a…

While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to describe the relationship between him and his father, and a memory they shared together. Roethke made the poem sound as if had two completely different meaning behind it. For example, it can mean that a father and his child are…