Summary Of My Papa's Waltz

In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers` perspective. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. Others believe that it has a hidden message of child abuse. In my point of view, the imagery and language, the symbolism, and tone in My Papas Waltz gave me the impression of the abusive relationship between the father and son, but then later realizing the positive side.

A waltz is a song in ¾ time, meaning that there are three beats in each measure. Accordingly, the poem is written to sound like a waltz, making use of different spacing and separation of the lines. Certainly, this conjures up ideas of dancing and excitement. The way Roethke uses the exact word from the title at the end of the poem ties it together, giving it a sense of peace. Although “such waltzing was not easy,” the boy’s love for his father did not falter. In many cases, when something we truly love becomes difficult, we do not give up on it. In short, the flow the author uses emphasises the presence of his adoration for his father. The words he selects highlight the wonderful memories he has of this man who played an important role in his life.Notably, Roethke provides eye catching words that illustrate scenes that appeal to the same

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.

"We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf" (5-6). In numerous poems different readers vista a variety of ways to interpret what poems actually mean. This is very much true in Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz." The quote mentioned has caused many misconceptions about what the poem; "My Papa's Waltz" actually refers to. The two superior interpretations of critics are that Roethke's poem describes abuse or a dance. The abuse seems much more apparent in "My Papa's Waltz" because of the language that Roethke uses. The dance is interpreted because the boy is innocent and knows nothing else therefore the abuse seems normal. The drunkenness of his Papa, the mother's

Roethke uses dramatic irony throughout the poem due to the fact that the reader knows what is going on, but the child does not. The reader knows that the father is under the influence of alcohol and is being abusive to the child and his mother, but the child does not know that, or he does not see it that way at least. In line four Roethke says, “Such waltzing was not easy.”. The child sees it as a graceful dance, for in this line he is saying that he cannot keep up with his father’s waltz since it is complex. That is only one side though, he might know the truth, but he just does not understand the reason for the choreography being used, that being his father’s despicable actions. He is covering the reality with the idea that he does not understand the steps to his father’s dance. He is in fact creating a happy

Theodore Roethke portrays the father figure as a working class man he does so by his description of him and thus his choice of words. For example, line 9 and 10, says that the father's hand was battered or even more so in line 14, the description of his palm is caked hard by dirt. The

The poems central image is the metaphor whereby the beatings are described to be a waltz. In the first stanza, a clash of ideas has been used to show the bond between a boy and his father. The relationship between the father and his son is described to be strong. The father’s whiskey is described by the poet that it could make a small boy dizzy, but the poet says he would hang on like death. The word death illustrates truthfulness and undisputable love that the boy had for his father. The simile in this line shows the reader how the boy was determined to stick to his father and was never going to leave him despite the breath of the whiskey. He also shows the love he had for his father. In the first stanza, the poet says that “But I hung on” and in the fourth stanza says “Still clinging to your shirt” showing that he loved his father when he was young and still does love him even now that he is no longer a child.

One way the reader can see something is not right with this waltz, is through the description of one dancing partner, the father. Roethke crafts this image of a crummy man with the diction and imagery he uses to describe him. Extreme intoxication is hinted at when it is mentioned, “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2). At this moment, this man is not in his right mind, his inhibitions are lowered which makes him more susceptible to violent behavior. Many cases of child abuse happen when one parent is under the influence of alcohol. Roethke knows this and also knows that many readers know this, so uses this information to sculpt a drunk parent into readers minds. The author’s use of diction here with the word dizzy helps to really portray the degree to which the father was drunk and to help build the image of an unpredictable man, one who is capable of anything. Not only is the dad intoxicated, he is a bit of a rough fellow. His hands are being used as a way to display his roughness. This can be easily seen when it is stated, “The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle” (9-10) and also when the poem says, “a palm caked hard by dirt” (14). Both of these quotes use diction and imagery to provide one with an idea of the hands being used to beat on the child, hands that have done it many times before. It can be seen, from the diction and imagery used by the author

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” to look back at the fond memories he has as a child with his father. Roethke’s poem was published in 1961, he was born in 1908 so at the time of this memory he was only about five or six years old. In discussions of “My Papa’s Waltz,” one controversial issue has been that Roethke’s poem is about the abuse he suffered through as a child. On the one hand, some readers argue that it isn’t when looking at the denotative meaning. On the other hand, many readers contend that it

Literary Research Report: The Waltz “The waltz never quite goes out of fashion; it is always just around the corner; every now and then it returns with a bang… it is sneaking, insidious, disarming” (Menken). The Waltz is a lively and fast paced dance; it allows for people to enjoy music and each other’s company. “My Papa’s Waltz”, by Theodore Roethke, is a cleverly titled piece that takes the word “waltz” in an entirely different direction. “My Papas Waltz”, while short, is a poignant piece that brings attention to domestic abuse.

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,

In Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, the speaker displays complex feelings about his father, which are love and longing, with a hint of nervousness. The speaker is an older, mature man reflecting back on an important childhood memory. To begin, although his father’s whiskey breath made him dizzy, his younger self still “hung on like death” which indicates the speaker longed for a connection with his father. As well, his “right ear scraped a buckle” everytime his father missed a step, which caused discomfort to the young boy, but he did not mind. The speaker speaks of his father’s hand that was “battered on one knuckle” that held his wrist, which subtly mentions his father being abusive.

Poetry is made to express the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of the poet. The reader can interpret the poem however they see fit. Critics are undecided about the theme of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz." Some people believe that the poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. The more convincing interpretation is that it has a hidden message of parental abuse. Careful analysis of the keywords and each individual stanza back up this theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father.

Diction is arguably the most important literary device carried throughout the duration of this poem. Many readers were disoriented by the use of Roethke’s word choice, yet it is arguably the most indisputable piece of evidence used to portray the background of abuse in the author’s poem. Roethke uses words that carry negative connotations such as: beat, battered, death, and more.

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.