My Papa's Waltz

An ideal father should be someone who nurtures and lovingly cares for his offspring, and some kids are blessed by this opportunity growing up to spend time with their father, even if their parents are divorced. As the years go by our fathers grow older and we too grow old. We start to reminisce about the nostalgic times we had when we were young. In the poems “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, and “Tips From My Father” by Carol Ann Davis; the authors draw from different life events, in which each communicate a happy memory with their fathers to the audience, and conclude a common theme surrounding a bond with their fathers, which can be inferred through how the parents care about their kids and show affection to them by giving their

In “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke illustrates an image of a father-son romp around the kitchen that is both harsh in its play and delicate in its memory. Roethke illustrates the poem’s images from his own childhood memories. Roethke uses simple words to create puzzling phrases that could be interpreted in different ways. The poem is ambiguous due to certain word choices that have baffling double meanings. Roethke’s poem paints an image of his childhood interactions with his father. Roethke paints this picture by using ambiguity within a waltz-like structure.

The last two lines of the poem are the key to understanding the tone and meaning behind the poem: “Then waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt” (15-16). A perfect image of a son caught up in a moment with his father. Like all children he does not tire of the playtime. He doesn’t want to stop dancing; he doesn’t want to let go, and he doesn’t want to go to bed.

When Theodore Roethke was a young boy, he lived on a farm full of greenhouses. His imagination soared as he got to explore and play in each glass house that was filled with different species of flowers and plants. Having so much room to play sounds like a dream for most children, but Roethke had something more to deal with it. From his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz.” and many of his other works, Roethke has mixed emotions flowing through each one. With “My Papa’s Waltz,” there is a sense of alcohol abuse as Roethke’s father is drunkenly “waltzing” with his young self. This leads into wondering if Roethke was affected by the alcoholism that has run through his family. Children are perspective and affected by everything. This means that when a parent drinks alcohol in front of their child and shows behaviors of being drunk, it can immensely disturb a young adolescent (Who are the Real Victims). Roethke is an example of this affect and that’s why it is questioned if he was motivated by his father to use poetry as an outlet.

Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” has generated much discussion among readers, who often disagree about the relationship between the father and his young son. Some readers worry that the father’s drunken behavior poses a danger to his son, perhaps even to the boy’s mother. Roethke creates a scene of rough but innocent play between a father and his young son.

In the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, the narrator is the “small boy” mentioned in the second line. He thoroughly describes every little thing about what his father is doing; this shows the large amount of imagery in the poem. This connection is obviously between a boy and his father; hence the title of the poem. Speaking of the title of the poem, it is exactly what is named. A waltz is a song “written in ¾ time,” this is normally a very “intimate type of dance” (Shmoop). There may be a danced being performed, but do not be fooled. Eventually, we realize that this poem is a lot worse that what most would originally think. This poem quickly goes from good

Although many factors influence the creation of meaning between a reader and a text, the two most important factors in creating meaning are context and connotation. In this case, context is significant to the interpretation a reader has of the meaning of a text because the way readers interpret text is influenced by the time period and events. The interpretation of a text written in 1948 will have a different meaning to someone who reads it in 2017. All the events that one sees occurring in the world and all the problems and the injustices affect the way you understand a text. For example, Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” is written in the year 1961.

My Papa’s Waltz In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” , Roethke associates a positive tone within the poem due to the fact that the boy wants to spend time with his industrious father, he was just having fun “romping” around, and the little boy did not want to head to bed as he was having a blast. First, a young boy and his father were performing the waltz: a dance performed by two people in which moves in a circular motion in a rhythmic manner. The father is said to have alcohol in his system; however, this does not mean that the little boy is being harmed in any way.

Jason Hugo Prof Homan ENG120 3-08-18 Many people have childhood experiences that can bring pleasure feelings or be very unpleasant. This concept can be proven by Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz". This poem has two meanings, it all depends on the readers childhood experiences. The poem is interpreted as ironic because of the discrepancy between pleasure idea of waltz and the boys displeasure.

Every one of us has a childhood, some of us may experience a memorable one, while some of us want to erase it from our memory. Everyone also has their own personal feelings towards a father's figure due to their personal experiences they have as a child. The poems "My Father's Song," by Simon J. Ortiz, and "My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke, are two similar poems written about a father and child relationship. My Papa's Waltz" creates a debate whether the father-son relationship is sweet loving memory or a confession of childhood abuse. The two poems are spoken from the child's point of view during a memorable event in their childhood. The poems "My Father's Song and "My Papa's Waltz" both share a theme of admiration each kid has looking upon their father and a warm memory. The writers use a variety of poetic devices such as tone, word choice, imagery, and figurative language.

As well, the waltz in the story becomes a symbol of an idealized and elusive relationship between father and son and leads to the title of the poem-"My Papa's Waltz." The last line of poem, "waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt" (line 15-16) infers the boy is very dependent on his father and shows his father loves him very much. The constant rhythm throughout the poem gives it a light beat, like a waltz; the reader feels like he is dancing. The rhythm of poem make a reader feel the joy of a child, not the somber sense of abuse, This is like a child dancing since there is no complicated structure, Moreover, stresses on words such as dizzy, easy, buckle, and knuckle give the poem a rather playful feel to the reader. A child who suffered abuse would not be using happy symbolism to remember his

“Waltzing Was Not Easy” In “My Papa’s Waltz” written by Theodore Roethke, the speaker describes his childhood memory as a beautiful bonding experience. The speaker met the whiskey on his father’s breath as they waltzed into the kitchen. The mother watching nearby began to feel anger because they knocked the pans from the shelves. His strong hands held the boy’s wrist tightly as the waltzing continued.

My Papa’s Waltz “My Papa’s Waltz”, has a positive tone. The overall tone of the poem is optimistic, and about having a fun night. The poem concludes with love in a physical way. The poem emphasizes the word waltz; to waltz means, a dance in triple time performed by a couple who as a pair turn rhythmically around and around as they progress around the dance floor.

Throughout “My Papa’s Waltz” the father dances with the child before bedtime being loose, silly, and carefree. This is a bonding experience for father and son as he “hung on like death,”(Roethke 3) pretending almost as if this was a carnival ride. The son captivated and unwilling to let go as he's still “clinging on to your shirt,” (Roethke 16) refusing for the playful activity to end. In the same manner, the son in “Dance with my Father,” uses the dancing as a memory to cherish when he looses his father remembering when he would “spin me around till I fell asleep”(Vandross 5). The son dreams of the opportunity to “get another chance, another walk, another dance with him,”(Vandross 9-10) because it was such a positive bonding experience that he shared with his father. In remembering his father, the dance is always a happy unforgettable flashback. The playful activity and bonding experience of dancing was a positive moment that each son shared with his

My papa’s waltz is a reflection of love and emotion between a father and a son. It demonstrates the childhood experience between a father and a son. As a concept, fear doesn’t make us hate people, it makes us love them even more, especially, if they are our parents. In this poem the speaker conveys his emotions and feelings towards his father. As we first read the poem it seems that the speaker is afraid of his father. The first line of this poem “The whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy.” It seems that the father was alcoholic and the little son was afraid of him. But as we move ahead in the poem the image of the poem changes and it appears more of a dance between a father and a son. Even though the son could not bear the smell of the alcohol but he still cling on to his father and he do not want to leave him. This is the most moving para as the son was small and scared but the feeling of love overpowered the feeling of fear in these lines.