My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

The first two lines are a double meaning. “Whiskey on your breath” could mean that the father was an alcoholic, or that he had just a sip of whiskey. Even a small sip of whiskey can make any child dizzy because the smell of alcohol is strong. These lines create a double meaning and a sense of uneasiness in their relationship. In the second two lines, ambiguity arises in the meaning behind the words. A sense of fun is created when the son is waltzing with his father, but the boy is only tall enough to reach his father’s belt buckle. The father might be having a fun time with his son, but because he is much bigger than his son, the interactions seem a bit overwhelming. The words “hung on like death” indicate that the game the father and the

In the last two stanza's, Roethke describes the vivid details of the beating. He describes how one hand clinches the boy's wrist. Clinch seems to be a rather strong word and it indicates a use of forceful grabbing. If this were a happy dance, the author would not use such a strong description. Lines 11-12 shows how the father tries to hit the son but due to his intoxication he misses and grazes the son's ear with the belt buckle. The fourth and final stanza sums up the feelings of the boy towards the father. The words seem to be directly spoken to the dad. This is not the first time this type of action has taken place. The reader gets this interpretation because the boy says," you beat time on my head"

In the third stanza, the narrator is remembering some details like the broken knuckle of his father (line 10), and that his ear was scraping on his father's belt buckle (line 12). As well in the fourth stanza, the narrator mentions the dirt caked on his father's hand (line 14). These images of the son imply a hard working father who had just come home from the plant and was spending time with his little son before putting him to bed. These images also support my point of view that the author still has pleasant memories of the event, which would not be the case if there was abuse,

Could make a small boy dizzy” (Lines 1-2). Meaning The father has been drinking, and not just a little. He's so intoxicated that even the smell of his breath could make a small boy, like his son, feel a bit woozy. This gives a first impression of a father being intoxicated who has the ability to harm the child. For most it is not a great situation when a drunken adult presents himself to a child. This poem could be seen as a depiction of a young boy’s experience of abuse from his father. “But I hang on like death” seems to show a child’s frightful feeling from having to face a drunken father. The image in my head here is that of the father and his child waltzing around the kitchen with the boy having to hold on like death. The word death could have been intended to emphasize the helplessness of the child against his drunken

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke sparks differing opinions within the minds of many. Roethke was influenced greatly by his experiences as a young boy. For instance, his uncle and father both died when he was the age of fourteen. “My Papa’s Waltz” is written in remembrance of his father after this dreadful occurrence. The author’s use of imagery brings light to the his adoration for his father. Notably, his way of stringing together ideas reinforces the fond memories they shared. Roethke’s captivating choice of words supports his purpose to make known the love he has for this man. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to bring attention to the loving relationship he had with his father.

In a literary criticism written by Bobby Fong, which addresses the opposing possibilities of abuse and horse play of this poem, is quickly snuffed out when Fong states that most students regard the poem as a happy tale of a tipsy father playing with his child. Fong then writes how the same students said some of the finest moments with their fathers were when their fathers’ were drinking, and how “This “papa” was not the man they knew, so there was some anxiety felt regarding the “stranger,” but he was what these students as children wanted more often from their fathers.” (Fong) There is a reference to this uneasiness or anxiety in Roethke’s poem in line three which says “But I hung on like death:” (Roethke). However, despite the rough housing what the boy enjoyed the most was his father’s unhinged wild side, and that he was included in it.

In the poem, Roethke uses diction that shows his emotions towards his father. In the first stanza, the poet says:” The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.” Even though his father is a drunk he still loves him. He says “I hung on like death” which emphasizes the bond he has with his father while they are waltzing together. This also shows a strong sense of love and affection he has for him. Because his father’s breath reeked of whiskey, it was hard for them to waltz with ease. Also, the poet somewhat describes pain in way as well when he uses the words “battered” and “scraped” in the third stanza. He uses these word battered because he's describing that his father’s hands as worn out and beat up because he probably works really hard at his job which requires a lot of labor and the description of that word shows the reader that he works hard at what he does. With the word scraped, this shows pain because when the poet and his father waltz, his right ear scraped because his father was drunk on the whiskey and it made him a little dizzy and the poet most likely hit something which scraped his ear. The poet also uses the word “romped”; this describes that the son and the father are having fun together waltzing even though they are being careless as they are bumping into the pots and pans in the kitchen which annoys the mother as described in the second stanza in the last two lines.

Child abuse is physical mistreatment that unfortunately happens to children everywhere around the world. In the same way, the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, describes and gives the readers an insight of what child abuse is like. The poem presents a relationship between a drunken father and his son. Therefore, the setting, sensory details, and word choice of the poem allows the reader to understand the violence the little boy goes through after his father returns from work.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has an overall sorrowful tone showing the narrator’s sadness from his childhood experiences with his father. In the first stanza, the poem describes that his father is always drunk and treats him poorly. For example, “The whiskey on your breath: could make a small boy dizzy,” shows that his father was always drunk when the narrator saw him. Also the speaker stated, “But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.” This represents that the father was always abusing the narrator, which shows the sorrowful tone in the poem.

In the fourth and last stanza Roethke re-emphasizes his father as a laborer by once again describing his hands. These are the hands of a man who works in the dirt. A reference made to the father as he “…beat time…” (13) on the boys head, once again portrays the raucous way in which they are dancing; the father keeps time for their waltz while playfully drumming the beat on his child’s head.

Carolyn Spring once stated, “The happy family is a myth for many,” and Theodore Roethke, sadly, proves that to be to true. In the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” Roethke illustrates an abusive relationship between an angry drunkard of a father and his child. The ‘dance’ being described is really the act of the father injuring his child; the waltz is a metaphor for the abusive acts taking place. Roethke orchestrates the vile wrongdoings of the father not only with various literary devices, such as tone, structure, figurative language, imagery, and diction, but also in the descriptions of the mother, father, and the child narrating this poem. All in all, in“My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke provides readers a twisted look inside of a dysfunctional, abusive family through the characters: the father, mother, and a child.

“The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2), there was so much whiskey in the father's breathe that it makes the little boy extremely dizzy. This gives the reader the idea that the boy is have a negative experience with the father during their dance. Another point that can be used to say there is a negative experience is the fact that the boys ear kept scrapping his ear against his dad's belt buckle, “At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle” (11-12). These lines also show that the father is drunk, he could not keep his balance or rhythm as he was dancing with his son.

In this poem “My Papa’s Waltz “by Theodore Roethke, an unconstructive view could be created by the reader due to some of the words used in the poem. Clearly it is understandable why some could have a negative reaction to the poem. By analyzing the poem allows one to better understand what the author is truly trying to convey. The first line in the poem “the whiskey on your breath” is self explanatory enough to create

In Theodore Roethke’s poem My Papa's Waltz, the author has a lot of bittersweet feelings towards waltzing with his father. Roethke’s states that “The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy. ” This shows that the father has been drinking a lot, and with just the smell of his breath, it could make a little boy (Roethke) feel dizzy. Along the first stanza, Roethke states that he “hung on like death” and by using such diction so early in the writing, it indicates that, waltzing with his father, wasn’t a complete happy memory.

5-6). This line is describing how they are dancing and having fun but at the same time they are not being too careful with what they are doing because the kitchen stuff is moving from side to side. At the same time the poet is using imagery to describe how the father cares for his children in the following line “The hand that held my wrist” (l. 9). This line states that the father care for his children and is holding his hand but at the same time the child is a little scared because the hand of his father is “Was battered on one knuckle” (l.10) this line may also contain some kind of violence coming from the father because a battered knuckle can insinuate that the father got into a fight and injured his knuckles. Another situation that can make the child fear his life is the first line of the poem “The whisky on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (l. 1-2).