Essay on Analysis 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.

Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” illustrates a nightly ritual between a working-class father and his young son. In the first stanza a young boy holds tightly to his father. The second stanza describes a playful roughhousing between father and son. The fourth stanza shows again the boy’s unwillingness to let go of his father. Roethke’s AB rhyming scheme and waltz-like meter set a light and joyful cadence. The music of the waltz comes through in the reading and with it a carefree and innocent tone for the telling of the short amount of time between a hard-working father arriving home and the time when his son must go to bed.

Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz" is a Shakespearian sonnet composed of four couplet and of a rhyming scheme style a,b,a,b, which aids to depict the rhythmic movement of a waltz. The movement of the waltz is also conveyed to the reader through the actions of the poem.. For example, both the first couplet and the last couplet involve the child holding his father. And, in line 5 they "romped" which used to be said of renaissance and medieval women's attire

While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the diction, context, and imagery of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” about a fond memory of an intoxicated father and a young child waltzing around enjoying every moment they have together. In this case in the title, the author intentionally uses the word “papa” instead of the word father or dad to describe the relationship he has with his “papa.” However, many other readers notice a different perspective in this poem. Readers assume the poem is about a little boy being abused by his father. Although ,after deconstructing the poem it becomes undeniably clear that it's about a young boy and his father waltzing around making memories together. Roethke uses context to prove his point.

Throughout this entire poem, the speaker is a boy. The boy seems to be scared of his own father by the description

Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is a poem that consists of sixteen lines. Roethke made the rhyme plot abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh. Roethke utilizes this rhyme plan to influence it to seem as though the poem is a waltz. The rhyme throughout the stanzas gives the poem a beat. Every stanza consists of four lines, which the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme. As you first read the poem you portray a little kid who is hitting the dance floor with his intoxicated father in the kitchen. In line 7 and 8, you get the feeling that the little kid's mom is annoyed with the father. The pictures in the sonnet incorporate the kid's dad faltering around, and the little kid supposes he and his dad are moving. Another picture the poem leaves is the father's hands "battered on one knuckle" and "built up hard by dirt" which is stated in lines 10 and 14. This leaves a picture of a hard-working man, and the mother is furious. The last picture in the poem is the place that the drunk father is putting the little kid to bed. Roethke utilizes a likeness in the sonnet contrasting how the kid was being dragged around while the kid thought he was moving stated on line 3. The waltz is a generally developed allegory. The little kid trusts that he is moving, however, his dad is just dragging him around. The tone of the poem is gloomy. Roethke utilizes in line 3 and 10 the words "battered" and "passing" to make the tone of the sonnet gloomy. The father appeared to have gotten into an encounter while being intoxicated, and his significant other is worried about him. The little kid did not have any desire to go to bed since in line 16 it says he was sticking to his dad's shirt.

​“My Papas Waltz” by Theodore Roethke comes across in many different ways to its readers. Some say that it is about a child describing his childhood abuse or possibley just about a child enjoying time with his father. The recall of the memory is perhaps read as a bittersweet moment or maybe more bitter than sweet. The poem interpreted to me is about a boy reminiscing on fun times with his father.

In this poem “My Papa Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the writer is describing a relationship between a father and son. The relationship is characterized by a form of dance which is waltzing. This dance was taught by the father to the son. Throughout the poem, the writer uses aggressive words such as death, knuckle, buckle, and beat letting it be known that this is not a pleasant poem. This poem is from the viewpoint of the innocent child that is why it is possible to see the truth in this poem. In the poem, the child is being hurt by his father. The writer tries to beautify a father hurting his child with a beautiful dance, the speaker does this to make the beaten readable so he used the waltzing metaphor. You would think this is a nice moment between a father and his child but instead, it is just a cover-up of what’s really going on in this home.

Theodore Roethke’s, “My Papa’s Waltz” is a short but extremely powerful poem. The message Theodore Roethke is delivering in this poem is that love will always oust hate. The speaker recalls numerous tragic events he would endure throughout his childhood that most others would certainly want to bury deep away and never relive. The speaker thinks back to nights his father would barge into their house like an angry storm. His breath reeking of whiskey as he lashed out on the ones who loved him the most. He recalls times looking to his mom for strength, only to be met by the harsh reality, she was just as helpless as he was. You would think one would have resentment and hate towards such a man, but that certainly isn’t the case in this story as the speaker still yearns for his troubled father’s love.

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.

The relationship between the fathers and the sons through their childhood memory is the bottom line connection of these poems from first glance. Nevertheless, they both love and appreciate what their fathers do for them through their contribution of hard work and labor. Referring to the graphic, “My Papa’s Waltz” uses a playful and lighthearted tone, which is the opposite to “Those Winter Sundays” since it’s a sad, regretful tone, yet both are able to prove their appreciation towards their fathers. Roethke is left to hold on to the love, literally and metaphorically, when he is clinging to his father’s shirt. The son is clinging onto his father’s shirt, not wanting to let go of this moment; he is holding onto the love he has for his father even though “the whisky on [his] breath could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke, 10). His mother is left upset about the father’s drunken actions. Roethke is creating memories with his father, where it can be inferred that he doesn’t get to see his father a lot because of the “hand that held [his] wrist was battered on one knuckle” (Roethke, 10) indicating the extensive amount of labor his father endures. Hayden also has a hard working father, but his gratitude is expressed in a different way. He uses a different approach to imply love and respect, mostly through his tone of regret and sadness. As a child, Hayden didn’t pay much attention to

    While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, context, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to reminisce on a fond memory of his father “waltzing” with him when he was a child.  Whether this memory was a fond one or one of an abusive relationship is up in the air. There are multitudes of different speculations as to what this poem could possibly mean; they range from double meanings to sexual undertones. One popular interpretation among many readers is the belief that “My Papa’s Waltz” was a poem about the abuse from father to son. In reality, the meaning is simply a dance.

“My Papa’s Waltz”, at first after reading the title I came up with the idea that the poem was about a happy day, the wedding of this boy and all he wanted was to share a dance with his dad. I personally thought I was going to read a poem about a deep love by this boy and his Dad, and I think I’m quite close after reading the first lines.

Another abusive incident which appeals to the sense of touch occurs in the fourth stanza. The father "beat time on [the son's] head" with a "palm caked hand of dirt" (13-14). These lines create a picture of the father as a working man who takes aggression out on his son. Appealing to the sense of touch better illustrates the physical pain the son endures. The sense of touch used in the third and fourth stanza's help to prove that the poem has a negative and abusive theme.

With the use of imagery, the poet communicates to the reader the emotional bond between the father and his son. In the first stanza of the poem, the he illustrates a clear picture between the son and the father. "The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy But I hung on like death Such waltzing was not easy." the poet is saying that the father may not be the best father in the world with his breath smelling like whiskey, but despite that, the son hangs on like death. The simile the poet