reading “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke‚ one might infer a violent commotion between a father and son. However‚ if read closely‚ a reader will notice that the boy hung onto his father throughout the entirety of the waltz despite becoming “dizzy” (line 2)‚ and “scrapped” (line 12). In fact‚ in this poem‚ the narrator is reflecting upon a joyful memory he had with his father. Firstly‚ if a person were to dissect the title of the poem‚ “My Papa’s Waltz‚” they would discover that “Papa” is a term
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Quynh Nguyen Lynn Hovde English 101 February 17th‚ 2010 The Memory of the Waltz After reading the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke (807)‚ I realized that there are many different opinions about this poem. Some people think that this poem is about parental abuse‚ the other also think that it is about the happy memory of the relationship between father and son. In my point of view‚ the speaker in the poem is expressing his joyful time when he’s dancing with his father. The whole poem
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poem “My Papa’s Waltz.” On the surface‚ the father appears to be a drunk‚ and the kid‚ somewhat skittish‚ or scared around him; however‚ one must dig deeper than the surface level to be able to comprehend and appreciate the love shared between the father and the son in this poem. Through the use of literary devices such as extended metaphors and similes‚ the reader can see that the
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In the poem‚ My Papa’s Waltz‚ Theodore Roethke reminisces about his youth of tangled empathy of concern and unconditional appreciation regarding his predecessor besides the imperfections his predecessor has. Theodore Roethke shows the emotions of concern and appreciation through word choice‚ imagery and metaphors in the poem My Papa’s Waltz. Roethke’s word choices highlight the mixed emotions he feels regarding his predecessor. Through the combination of the words “death” and “waltzing” (l. 3-4)
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Comparison Essay: The Passionate Shepherd‚ Song‚ My Papa ’s Waltz Love and Hate: Does True Love Conquer All? In recent discussions of love and hate‚ a controversial issue has been presented: can true love conquer all adversity? On one hand‚ some argue that love has its limitation. From this perspective‚ many will claim that familial love cannot conquer a violent home with a violent father. On the other hand‚ however‚ others argue that love can conquer any obstacle that appears in a relationship
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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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In the poem “My Papas Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and in the short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’ Connor they both share some similarities. Both the story and the poem illustrate topics such as family‚ innocence and selfishness. First‚ the stories are about family in “My Papas Waltz” the poem is from the kids point of view where he wants the father the male role to be more attentive and then it switches to the mother were she is shown to be depressed and In “A Good Man is
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In “My Papa’s Waltz”‚ American poet Theodore Roethke transforms the horrid experience of a child being beaten by his father into the romantic and beautiful dance of a waltz. Written in trecet iambs to imitate the relaxing beat of the waltz‚ the poet installs some sense of pleasure in the reader. In doing so‚ Roethke makes the subject of a beating more readable and lessening the effect of the drunkenness makes the speaker’s father more forgivable. The lucidity of diction and imagery throughout Roethke’s
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"My Papa’s Waltz" Analysis In the poem "My Papa’s Waltz" by Theodore Roethke‚ the speaker is reflecting on a childhood experience involving his father. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy relationship between a father and son. Other people believe that this poem has a hidden message of parental abuse. In my point of view‚ the imagery and language‚ the symbolism‚ and tone in the poem gave me the impression of the love between the father and son‚ not of an abusive relationship. You
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and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke are both poems that brilliantly describe this powerful relationship between father and son. The feelings that the poets have toward the subject are found deep within the two poems often hidden behind how the character feels toward his own father. Even though these poems were published in different time periods‚ one feels the similarities and differences within the tone‚ form‚ or even the imagery of the poems. “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa’s Waltz” were
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