Theodore Roethke Papa's Waltz Essay
Theodore Roethke (1908- 1963) – “Papa’s Waltz”
Mary
ENG 125
Instructor: Sara Keller
June 13, 2011
Theodore Roethke- “Papa’s Waltz”
There were many poems that I enjoyed in this week’s readings, however the poem by Theodora Roethke- “Papa’s Waltz is one that I found most interesting. The theme of this poem was the ambiguous nature of family relationships. The information that is being detailed about the father is what I found interesting. Also, the tone, form, content and language of the poem were appealing.
The form of the poem that I found most engaging was the unique way Roethke chose his words of rhythm. For instance, when describing the fathers hands Theodore Roethke- “Papa Waltz” (Clugston 2010, Ch. 10.5) – “The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle- At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.” In my …show more content…
I believe I was most focus on the detail of the fathers’ hands. After rereading and thinking about what each word meant, and analyzing the reaction of the other characters (son and mother) in the poem I began to picture exactly what the poem was about. I think the meaning of this poem, was about a hardworking man. A man that had a few drinks than decide to dance and hang out with his son. The mother thought that the father’s drinking was getting out of hand. In this poem I think it sends out a message to the parents. No matter how young your child is, they acknowledge lots of things and it will stick to their minds. For instances, I quote Theodore Roethke “Papa’s Waltz”– “The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy But I hung on like death Such waltzing was not easy”, (Clugston, 2010, Ch. 10.5). This would be something for a kid to remember, the strong smell of liquor coming from his father was hard for him to inhale while dancing together. I believe things happening in this poem are experienced by many
Mary
ENG 125
Instructor: Sara Keller
June 13, 2011
Theodore Roethke- “Papa’s Waltz”
There were many poems that I enjoyed in this week’s readings, however the poem by Theodora Roethke- “Papa’s Waltz is one that I found most interesting. The theme of this poem was the ambiguous nature of family relationships. The information that is being detailed about the father is what I found interesting. Also, the tone, form, content and language of the poem were appealing.
The form of the poem that I found most engaging was the unique way Roethke chose his words of rhythm. For instance, when describing the fathers hands Theodore Roethke- “Papa Waltz” (Clugston 2010, Ch. 10.5) – “The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle- At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.” In my …show more content…
I believe I was most focus on the detail of the fathers’ hands. After rereading and thinking about what each word meant, and analyzing the reaction of the other characters (son and mother) in the poem I began to picture exactly what the poem was about. I think the meaning of this poem, was about a hardworking man. A man that had a few drinks than decide to dance and hang out with his son. The mother thought that the father’s drinking was getting out of hand. In this poem I think it sends out a message to the parents. No matter how young your child is, they acknowledge lots of things and it will stick to their minds. For instances, I quote Theodore Roethke “Papa’s Waltz”– “The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy But I hung on like death Such waltzing was not easy”, (Clugston, 2010, Ch. 10.5). This would be something for a kid to remember, the strong smell of liquor coming from his father was hard for him to inhale while dancing together. I believe things happening in this poem are experienced by many