Memory of an Abusive Father In discussions of “My Papa’s Waltz,” one controversial issue has been about a fond memory of his father . On the one hand, some readers argue The poem was about abuse . On the other hand, many readers contend It was a somber poem that expresses a son’s love for his father, despite his father’s alcoholism and abusive ways. Others even maintain that the poem had everything to do with something positive and memorable. However, after deconstructing the poem, it becomes
The controversial poem, “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 reminisce on a bittersweet memory with his father. His unclear commemoration has sparked a divide on what the true purpose of the poem is. Some may argue the poem’s purpose is to shine light on the subject of abuse, whereas others
While the subject of the poem,“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” with purposeful ambiguity in order to express his own internal “coming to terms” with the nostalgic memory of the father he loves and lost at a young age. The intentional ambiguity of the poem between fond and abusive memories becomes
While the subject of Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem has brought up a controversial issue; abuse. On one hand, some readers argue that the poem is about the pain and heartache that Roethke’s drunken father evoked during the poet’s childhood. On the other hand, many readers contend that the poem is reminiscing the dance that Roethke and his father shared. However
The poet Theodore Roethke in his dramatic poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” illustrates a moment in the life of a father and a son. As a result, readers have their own perspective of the poem either if it is about a child getting abused or a child going back to his childhood and talking about his wonderful memories with his father. 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 context
A Perfect Balance 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 this ambiguous poem with the intent to create a controversial interpretation which can be viewed as both or either an abusive or fond memory between father and son. Both interpretations can be supported by multiple pieces of evidence which
Knuckles 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 supports the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to reflect back to his sentimental memories with his father. In brief, Roethke leaves the audience with an unclear understanding of what the meaning of the poem is. In discussions of “My Papa’s Waltz,” one controversial issue is the
Mortality is at the forefront of the poems ‘To and Athlete Dying Young,’ ‘Design,’ ‘My Papa’s Waltz,’ and the short story ‘The Lottery.’ However, each of these works of art differ on the connotation of death but all convey their own unique views in the same narrative way. All of the poems have the same point of view in which their stories are told in but the short story, ‘The Lottery,’ stands alone as a story that is not told in the first person. The title of each work holds no deeper meaning than
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 illustrate a childhood memory with his intoxicated abusive father. Some might argue the fact that it may be about a dance, or that it might be about a fond and happy memory of them dancing at the house after a hard day of work; however
meaning. Three poems that rely on this theme are “My Father’s Song” by Simon J. Ortiz, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden. The author’s style in these poems carefully craft poetic language that demonstrates the complex nature of a father-son relationship. To begin with, My Papa’s Waltz” Roethke’s diction in powerfully communicates the bond between a father and son by choosing words with conflicting connotations. The poem opens with the lines: The whiskey