Waltz

Hidden Messages “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a very mysterious and ambiguous poem. The speaker reminisces on a memory of himself as a young boy with his father. Several readers get multiple impressions of the poem, and find themselves feeling puzzled about what the poem is truly about. The poem is very controversial with the vocabulary being used by the speaker, and there are many interpretations that readers can get from it. The poem demonstrates imagery and metaphors to describe…

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…

In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, the reader is a shown a horrible experience, the beating of a child by his father told in a way of the beautiful dance—the waltz. Our poet tries to beautify it by making it a waltz. It has the same timing as a waltz, 3 4 time. Roethke uses language, imagery, and tone to set the theme of abuse. The tone of the poem sets the whole poem up. It creates the course of the poem. The first stanza of this poem set the whole mood of the poem. “The whiskey on…

My Papa 's Waltz, by Theodore Roethke is a lyrical poem told by the narrator looking back on his relationship with his father when he was a young boy. It is an iambic trimeter written with an ABAB rhyme scheme. There is a definite mixed tone in the poem and depending on perspective, it can be read as light and playful, or dark and violent. The boy obviously cares very deeply for his father, but there are undertones of a darker side filled with abuse, violence and alcoholism. The waltz could be…

One of the key points in the poem is that the term “waltz” is used beyond its meaning to symbolize the father’s positive, and negative aspects of an unfulfilling role as a parent. A waltz is described as, “simultaneous circular movements: each couple turns on itself, in a small circle, around its own center, spiraling around in continuous turns” (Yaraman, 1998). This connects to the father’s drunk behavior because the poem refers to it as “/Such waltzing was not easy/”, in which the father lacks…

“My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem written by Theodore Roethke in 1941. His poem is structured around a young boy’s relationship with his intoxicated father. The story takes place in the 1940’s. The family couldn’t have had television at that time, so probably a radio instead. The rhythm of a waltz could’ve been initiated from a radio. But, the author uses symbolism such as the waltz, to describe the boy’s relationship to his father. The speaker uses various themes such as family, respect, manliness,…

“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…

In “My Papa’s Waltz,” Roethke uses an extended metaphor, but uses different language to describe it as the poem is read. “My Papa’s Waltz” has the metaphor of dancing throughout the poem, more correctly, waltzing between a father and son. Everything from the description of the fluidity of the dance to the speakers feeling towards the dance helps create a stronger meaning behind the metaphor. Roethke uses dancing as a metaphor for the relationship between the son and the father, according to the…

As I began to read the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke I could not help but to feel mad at the the person with the smell of whiskey on his breath. But halfway through the story I began to notice that some of the words like “waltzing”, “romped” seemed to contradict my negative reading of the poem. There are two contradicting images that are created by the poem and one can see a negative experience or a fun and enjoyable experience depending on the interpretation. But as I read the new…

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…