"My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a four quatrain poem written in iambic trimeter. The rhyme scheme present is abab, cdcd, efef, and ghgh. In the poem, the son is remembering a time when his father, who was excessively drunk at the time, carrying him through the kitchen off to bed. It was a rough, almost abusive, journey though because his father, who is already drunkenly waltzing him, is probably not used to handling things with care at work since his hands are described as "caked hard by dirt" and "battered on one knuckle". The speaker in the poem, the son, is clearly holding onto this memory of his father for whatever reason: maybe he died early, was working all the time, or abandoned the family.…
The tone and subject create a major impact to the overall theme of the poem, creating a strong emotional connection to the boy's experience. It is evident from the author’s use of the title, “My Papa’s Waltz.” Its transparency sets up the readers’ expectation before we even read the first line. This allows the author to focus on the lyrical form and wordplay of the poem eliminating the need to explain the situation any further. A waltz is a ballroom dance that comes with a rhythmic beat of three which mimics the prevailing iambic trimeter of the poem. Furthermore, the alternating rhymes in the poem metaphorically tie in with the constant swaying back and forth found in waltz dancing. The waltzing in the poem signifies an extended metaphor for the father-son relationship, therefore, is also symbolic and ultimately ties in organically to the sensitive and delicate significance of this…
In Theodore Roethke’s poem, My Papa’s Waltz, there seems to be a bit of controversy about what actions are taking place within it. From the title, it appears that the father and child were dancing, seeing as a waltz is a type of dance. But this is no dance. While waltzing, one person leads while the other follows. The father is the leader in this situation, showing dominance over his child. This “waltz” is simply something that the father does often. The narrator is the child. The vague and patchy description of the actions taking place would indicate that this is but a memory the narrator is trying to recall about his childhood. The poem, when read over quickly and lazily, may appear to be about this dance,…
Throughout the ages, authors have been known to use many of their life experiences in their literary works. They use certain moments that have been imprinted in their heads, because in some way these specific experiences have changed their lives. For instance, Theodore Roethke wrote the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” in which he writes about a moment from his early childhood that probably affected him so deeply that he was never able to forget about it. This shows that certain moments in our childhood are particularly crucial to the way we turn out to be as adults.…
The second stanza tells of slamming doors, angry feet, and slamming dishes. This portrays the behavior of a schizophrenic person. It is reckless for no reason. This is a symptom called "catatonia" CITATION Psy14 \l 1033 (Psych Central), which is when the subject moves excessively and has violent behavior. The greasy stains spreading on the cloth is imagery for disease spreading over the body.…
This poem includes various types of poetry. It is written is written in an ABAB rhyme scheme. This means that the 1st line and 3rd line rhyme, and the 2nd and 4th line rhyme.…
four lines. The rhyme scheme is, in the first stanza - abab, in the second…
“My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem written by Theodore Roethke that describes a childhood memory of a son and his father doing their nightly “waltz”. The poem portrays the traumatic memory using metaphors. For example, the waltzing that takes place actually symbolizes the abuse the child received from his father. At a glance, the poem seems to be about an innocent relationship between a father and son. However, the poem describes a traumatic flashback of a father abusing his son.…
The anger that the father feels due to his unfortunate circumstances is prevalent throughout the poem and it leads to a strain on the relationship with the speaker as a child. The troubled economy resulted in the father losing his job; the speaker tells us that it was after this occurred that he…
In Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” a child and the father appear to be dancing. The author uses descriptive words to explain the dance that is happening between the father and child. The child’s experience in the poem is not a pleasant one, we see this throughout the detailed lines.…
In the poem “My Papa Waltz” Written by Theodore Roethke, a young child is running around the house following and playing with the drunkard of a dad. The child can smell the whiskey on his breath but continues to cling tightly as the child does not want to stop playing. This scuffling shakes and rattles the pans in the kitchen frustrating the mom as she is annoyed with her drunk of a husband. Bedtime has approached so the child is then carried to bed still clinging to the fathers’ shirt. Roethke uses irony, symbolism, and imagery to portray how forgiving a child’s love can be.…
Reading this poem brings back memories from my early child. I remember being ten or eleven and going to daddy daughter dances at the community center. When they discuss the Whiskey on his breath, I remember smelling the grease on my father. He was never one to drink, which is something I find very respectable; but he worked in a GM factory so he smelled often smelled of grease. This became a comforting smell since as a child I always associate with my father. Dancing at these dances was never easy since my father is a bigger man. His belly often made our dancing difficult, but I was always dancing since I would just stand on his toes as he held my hand. This made my dancing easier than the romping around that the father and son do in the poem.…
The poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke is about a childhood memory written later in the adult narrator’s lifetime with his father. This poem reveals the relationship between the narrator and his father when they were waltzing about the room when he was still a small boy. This poem creates what appears to be an incident of a son who is being abuse by his father earlier in his childhood life. It is obvious that the author choice manipulation of words in this poem is what clearly shows that the young boy is being abuse instead of waltzing with his father.…
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 the relationship between a father and son proves to be more powerful than the sons self respect.…
The poem “My Papa Waltz” is a childhood memory involving a boy and his father. Some people think this poem portrays a message of abuse from the drunken father, others see the happiness of the relationship. This poem in my opinion shows love between the two rather than hate or abuse, because of the imagery, symbolism, and word choice that Theodore Roethke uses.…