My Papa's Waltz Analysis

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, uses four stanzas to explain what many readers would conclude as a beating by an abusive and out of control father. He uses metaphoric language to set the tone for his poem. Studying Roethke’s biography you learn his poems are based on events he experienced during his development from childhood to adulthood.

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” as a loving relationship between an imperfect father and young son.

“My Papa’s Waltz” is a 16 line poem, by Theodore Roethke, that most people read through one of two lenses. Some find the poem to be a completely light hearted memory that a child has of his father, while others can see a more morbid side of an abusive alcoholic father who is beating his child rather than waltzing. Whether you read it through the violent lense ot the innocent one there is no doubt that the poem is about a memory, whether scary or fun is up to the reader themselves.

Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debates among professors, scholars, and students; the imagery, context, and diction of the poem clearly supports the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” reflecting on his relationship with his father. A relationship in which, notably, causes harm to the author. However, through all the nights Roethke spent in pain and in horror, his love for his father still exists. While many people believe that the author tells a lovely story of a fond memory with his father, it is not possible that the use of negative imagery and negative diction does not play a role in the story told. “My Papa’s Waltz” tells the story of a “small boy” who is abused by his

Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is a poem that consists of sixteen lines. Roethke made the rhyme plot abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh. Roethke utilizes this rhyme plan to influence it to seem as though the poem is a waltz. The rhyme throughout the stanzas gives the poem a beat. Every stanza consists of four lines, which the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme. As you first read the poem you portray a little kid who is hitting the dance floor with his intoxicated father in the kitchen. In line 7 and 8, you get the feeling that the little kid's mom is annoyed with the father. The pictures in the sonnet incorporate the kid's dad faltering around, and the little kid supposes he and his dad are moving. Another picture the poem leaves is the father's hands "battered on one knuckle" and "built up hard by dirt" which is stated in lines 10 and 14. This leaves a picture of a hard-working man, and the mother is furious. The last picture in the poem is the place that the drunk father is putting the little kid to bed. Roethke utilizes a likeness in the sonnet contrasting how the kid was being dragged around while the kid thought he was moving stated on line 3. The waltz is a generally developed allegory. The little kid trusts that he is moving, however, his dad is just dragging him around. The tone of the poem is gloomy. Roethke utilizes in line 3 and 10 the words "battered" and "passing" to make the tone of the sonnet gloomy. The father appeared to have gotten into an encounter while being intoxicated, and his significant other is worried about him. The little kid did not have any desire to go to bed since in line 16 it says he was sticking to his dad's shirt.

McKenna, John J. “Roethke’s Revisions And The Tone Of ‘My Papa’s Waltz.’” Anq 11.2 (1998); 34-38. Literacy Reference Center. Web 11 Aug. 2014,

The memories made during childhood, positive or negative, are recollected during one’s lifetime. Throughout “My Papa’s Waltz,” the reader may find it difficult to underline the true tone of the poem. Although, depending on the reader’s childhood, the tone may be evident. In “My Papas Waltz,” Theodore Roethke uses the title, diction, and tone to depict a hardworking and playful father waltzing his energetic little boy off to bed.

In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke is telling a story about a drunk and abusive father waltzing throughout his house. The poem mostly takes place in what seems to be a kitchen because they mention pans and the kitchen shelf. The narrator of the story is believed to be the son who is of a very young age and could possibly be abused and manhandled by his father when he gets uncontrollably drunk and waltzes with him around the household. The narrator uses words that are usually paired with abusive situations like “battered” and beat”. As the poem goes along it seems as if the father gets more and more abusive. In stanza one, he is talking about how drunk the father gets. Throughout stanza two he talks about how he was a little too

Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is ambiguous and contains mixed feelings about his father. Throughout his life, Roethke had problems relating to alcohol addiction and psychological breakdowns (McRoberts, n.d.). As an adult to confront personal tensions, he uses his childhood memories to create a window into the past to move forward with his life. We learn his father had been drinking whiskey from the lines “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2). “A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as” (simile, n.d.). Roethke uses a simile to describe his perspective of the dance and life with his father as a child with the lines “But I hung on like death: Such waltzing

The poem My Papa’s Waltz, by Theodore Roethke, is a complex multi-layered poem about the relationship between a father and son. On the surface level, the poem seems to be discussing a cheery moment before bedtime where the father and son are playing. However, a deeper look could entail a much more abusive relationship between the two. In the end, the message is muddled, and neither meaning becomes the dominant one. I think this is perfect, because the relationship between the paternal/child is no clear and simple thing either. Throughout the poem, Roethke uses his mastery of diction to capture the complexities of the father-son relationship.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” written by Theodore Roethke is based on a tragedy that has happened during his childhood. It talks about him, his mother, and father on how his father would dance in drunkenness through the night. The mother in poem seems to just stand back and watch with a sad face; while Theodore is getting mistreated by his father. When a person reads the poem he or she gets a sense of feeling of that the dad being an alcoholic and trying waltz with his son.

Poet and American journalists, Theodore Roethke in his descriptive poem “My Papa’s Waltz” portrays the intense connection he once felt with his father. He develops his message through explaining the moments from his childhood. In addition, according to stanza one “The whiskey on your breath could keep a small boy dizzy” infers his father was under the influence of alcohol which reveals the difficulty his son had to face, though his son kept “hanging on like death.” Further, the author creates a reflexive and deep tone in order for readers to understand his past. Ultimately, 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 intimate memories he shared with his beloved father.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke can be interpreted in several different ways. Every person reads it differently, some believe that it is about a father abusing his son and others believe it is just a playful scenario between a father and son. After reading it a couple times over I started to realize each part of the poem could be thought out in different ways.

In "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, the poem expresses love between father and son. Speaker is reflecting on a childhood experience involving his father. In the poem a father comes home with whiskey on his breath and starts to dance the waltz with his son. The line “ I hung on like death” (“Roethke” 3) provides emotional imagery pointing to the boy's love for his father and joy to have time with him. "We romped until the pans /slid from the kitchen shelf" (“Roethke” 5-6) provides a picture of an intense and wild time. "The hand that held my wrist / was battered on one knuckle"(“Roethke” 9-10) and "palm cacked hard by dirt"(“Roethke” 14) provides evidence that the father has spent time under some physical duress previously, but despite possibly being tired and drunk, he enjoys a wild dance with his son. The poem ends with the boy waltzed off to bed “still clinging to your shirt” (“Roethke” 16) showing the intense emotional love the boy has for his father. "My Papa's Waltz" concludes leaving the reader thinking of the strong bond of

Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, is subject to the interpretation of the reader. One may choose to see waltz as a recollection of a beautiful moment in time. Another interpretation has a much darker tone as one could choose to see the violence within the movement of the waltz and not the beauty for which it is known. Thus, one may interpret the poem as a fond memory of a father as told by his son, the author. However, the poem could also be viewed as a revelation of a complicated relationship between a father and a son.