Waltz

Theodore Roethke conveys a child’s unrelenting love and dependence to their parents despite the cruelness shown by them in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”. The poem describes the child to be “clinging” (Roethke 16) to the father and is “hung on like death” (Roethke 3). Roethke depicts the dependence of the child to their father figure and the seeking of love they wish to be able to see. Children try to rationalize the things their parents do, so their behavior is viewed as nothing less than what is…

In "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke and "Digging" written by Seamus Heaney, both the poem are about the writer's association with their father when they were young. Both parents function as workers, and both poets admire their father for their diligent work. In "My Papa's Waltz", the poet specifies that his father's hand have a battered knuckle on one hand and a palm built up hard by soil. In fact, this demonstrates that his father works hard. When he finishes his duty, he would tend to…

Katy Boozer Mrs. Geren English 102-48 March 17, 2017 A Father and Son After first reading and analyzing the poem titled "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, a negative or positive feeling could be shaped. Because of a portion of the words in this poem, it is reasonable why this sort of response could be evoked. Basic speculation allows one to better comprehend what Roethke may truly mean. Throughout the poem, the rhyme scheme, mood, figurative language, the tone of the author, and the…

The Melting Pot I choose the “Arabian Waltz” by the Silk Road Ensemble as my song. This group is composed of “distinguished musicians, composers and performing artists from more than 20 countries around the world to celebrate, explore and experiment with a wide variety of cultural approaches to musical performances” (The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: Live from Tanglewood). At the beginning of the piece I felt very serene with just a couple of instruments playing. However, when all the…

My favorite of the four poems is the third one, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. The first line captures my attention because the speaker says “your” (1) as if talking directly to his father. The following lines in the first stanza form an unpleasant tone and mood as it is revealed that the boy had trouble with his father. The poem is easy to relate to because it focuses on the relationship between father and son. “But I hung on like death” (4) is my favorite comparison in the entire poem.…

longing for him by calling him "Papa" and not the "father". This word is usually used, often, referring to fathers. One has a special relationship, a certain kind of love. A deeper love. ImageThe title is also very misleading, reading "My Papa's Waltz" I thought this poem was about a child's relationship with his father. A good and loving father having a loving, lasting relationship with his child sharing a gentle dance. But from my perspective a father that beats his child like this father…

In the year of 1979, Kenneth Waltz created a hypothesis which stated “The world is more stable if dominated by fewer numbers of greater powers”. His main argument was that alliances would spread in a multipolar world rather than a bipolar world. The multipolar period is, six states fought for influence along with the distribution of power which was constantly changing. The Cold War era was only stable dude to the domination that was shared between two superpowers (A sovereign state with dominant…

“My Papa’s Waltz” Abuse, Happiness or Both “My Papa’s Waltz” appears on the surface to be about a father abusing his young son, others may believe it's about the happy memories the young boy has with his father. Depends on your interpretation of the poem. Roethke expresses the meaning of “My Papa’s Waltz” through imagery, simile, word choice, and symbolism. The poem is told from the son’s point of view, so it highlight the happy times and the bonds the son has with his father. With this the…

In the passage, “The Waltz of Sociability: Intimacy, Dislocation and Friendship in a Quebec High School”, author Vered Amit-Talai discusses the usual occurrence of routine friendship on adolescence to adulthood in the Western culture. Amit-Talai takes a different approach than the anthropologists and sociologists in how they view the impermanence of friendship in young peer, their notion assumes that friendships are temporary in their nature and that their termination is natural in “life cycle…

When it comes to the topic of ¨My Papa's Waltz¨ written by Theodore Roethke, most people will readily agree that this poem is about a loving memory. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of when is it fine to abuse a child because a father got drunk? Whereas some are convinced that the poem is about a fond memory, others maintain that it's about abuse. While the subject of ¨My Papa's Waltz¨ has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students…