Any interpretation of “My Papa’s Waltz” has to take into account the complexity of the speaker’s feelings that are brought about by his father’s waltz. A dance should bring two people closer together. The dance in this poem acts that way‚ yet the darker side of this waltz‚ which is a powerfully unsettling emotion under the surface of this poem‚ dominates the mood‚ and the love and intimacy of the dance do not make a strong impression on the reader. Theodore Roethke manipulates our emotional response
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In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke uses a type of dance to symbolize the narrator’s relationship with his violently alcoholic father‚ the antagonist. The evidence in the poem suggests the boy‚ the protagonist‚ has come to terms with the domestic violence and accepts it. The narrator believes the beatings are inevitable and relates them to every human’s inevitable fate‚ through death. The narrator doesn’t blame his father and in fact blames himself for the beatings. Roethke argues that
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The memory described in "My Papa’s Waltz" is mostly positive. The poem is about a specific type of dance‚ which is established thrice: by the title as well as lines 4 and 15. The father waltzed with his child at bedtime‚ a spirited attempt to bring elegance into a humble home. Waltzing is often associated with royalty‚ emperors dancing in palaces to the music of Johann Strauss II‚ good living! The verb "romped" in the second stanza is strong evidence that this was a playful activity for both father
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“My Papas Waltz” Theodore Roethke‚ in his poem‚ “My Papas Waltz”‚ recounts his childhood and his experiences with his drunken father‚ where he compares it to a waltz. Roethke’s purpose was to illustrate his love for his father even though he drank. He adopts a contemplative tone in order to reflect similar feelings and experiences in his scholastic readers. When analyzing the poem even the title has meaning besides its obvious use. The author uses the word papa‚ which is a child’s term for father
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John Kenneth Muir analyzes the issue over the post-apocalyptic destruction‚ in which he studies the effect on human civilization by asking the viewer‚ “How many would act in the same fashion; refusing to trust "strangers" until they knew that the risk was passed?” One of the effects Muir mentions throughout the reassessment is the loss of hope for the greater good of a social club. Still‚ too much hope in society can be dangerous in the wrong hands‚ and will most likely lead to a catastrophic result
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"The Mephisto Waltz" Composed By: Franz Liszt Reviewed By: John Teabout Jr. January 18‚ 2006 Mr. Brellochs Piano 1 A4 Franz Liszt was born on October 22‚ 1811 in Raiding‚ Hungary. His father Adam Liszt‚ a cello player‚ taught him to play the piano. As a young boy he moved to Vienna to study piano under Carl Czerny and composition under Antonio Salieri. Two years following him and his family moved to Paris‚ France where he toured broadly as a pianist. Liszt ’s father Adam died in 1826
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Kenneth Burke Kenneth Duva Burke (May 5‚ 1897 – November 19‚ 1993) was an American literary theorist and philosopher. Burke’s primary interests were in rhetoric and aesthetics. Burke became a highly distinguished writer after getting out of college‚ and starting off serving as an editor and critic instead‚ while he developed his relationships with other successful writers. He would later return to the university to lecture and teach. He was born on May 5 in Pittsburgh‚ Pennsylvania
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Directed by a fan of the musicians involved in the film‚ The Last Waltz is considered one of the greatest musical films‚ if not the greatest‚ ever produced in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. It features the last concert given by a group of musicians who referred to themselves as “The Band”. Hence the name The Last Waltz was given to the title of the film. Besides the concert‚ the viewers are enlightened with the life experiences of these musicians through the interviews dispersed between the scenes
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The history of Waltz The Waltz is the oldest of the ballroom dances‚ dating from the middle of the Eighteenth Century. The German "Lander"‚ a folk dance‚ is supposed to be the forerunner of the Waltz. During this time period a dance developed which was called the "Walzer"‚ a word owing its origin to the Latin word Volvere‚ which indicates a rotating motion. Napoleon’s invading solders spread the waltz from Germany to Paris; then the dance glided across the channel to England and finally made its
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Poem 1: Beach burial Kenneth Slessor wrote the poem Beach Burial whilst he completed his occupation as the official Australian Correspondent in the Middle East. Due to Slessors observations of the war at close quarters he soon learnt about the horrific horrors of war. During Slessor’s stay in El Alamein a small village found on the Egypt Mediterranean coast he wrote the poem to describe the realities of war and what realistically happens after heroes are killed. Kenneth Slessor has used imagery
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