Analysis of Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” Essay

In the last two stanza's, Roethke describes the vivid details of the beating. He describes how one hand clinches the boy's wrist. Clinch seems to be a rather strong word and it indicates a use of forceful grabbing. If this were a happy dance, the author would not use such a strong description. Lines 11-12 shows how the father tries to hit the son but due to his intoxication he misses and grazes the son's ear with the belt buckle. The fourth and final stanza sums up the feelings of the boy towards the father. The words seem to be directly spoken to the dad. This is not the first time this type of action has taken place. The reader gets this interpretation because the boy says," you beat time on my head"

In the third stanza, the narrator is remembering some details like the broken knuckle of his father (line 10), and that his ear was scraping on his father's belt buckle (line 12). As well in the fourth stanza, the narrator mentions the dirt caked on his father's hand (line 14). These images of the son imply a hard working father who had just come home from the plant and was spending time with his little son before putting him to bed. These images also support my point of view that the author still has pleasant memories of the event, which would not be the case if there was abuse,

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke sparks differing opinions within the minds of many. Roethke was influenced greatly by his experiences as a young boy. For instance, his uncle and father both died when he was the age of fourteen. “My Papa’s Waltz” is written in remembrance of his father after this dreadful occurrence. The author’s use of imagery brings light to the his adoration for his father. Notably, his way of stringing together ideas reinforces the fond memories they shared. Roethke’s captivating choice of words supports his purpose to make known the love he has for this man. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to bring attention to the loving relationship he had with his father.

The diction within the poem also captures the bonding experience. Roethke's word selection uniquely relates the event to a dance making the poem pleasantly fun. The overall effect of words such as "dizzy," (2) "waltzing,"(4) and "beat"(13) turn the lines of poetry into a merry shuffle between the father and son. Words such as "step"(11) and "waltzed"(15) fully invoke

In the poem, Roethke uses diction that shows his emotions towards his father. In the first stanza, the poet says:” The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy.” Even though his father is a drunk he still loves him. He says “I hung on like death” which emphasizes the bond he has with his father while they are waltzing together. This also shows a strong sense of love and affection he has for him. Because his father’s breath reeked of whiskey, it was hard for them to waltz with ease. Also, the poet somewhat describes pain in way as well when he uses the words “battered” and “scraped” in the third stanza. He uses these word battered because he's describing that his father’s hands as worn out and beat up because he probably works really hard at his job which requires a lot of labor and the description of that word shows the reader that he works hard at what he does. With the word scraped, this shows pain because when the poet and his father waltz, his right ear scraped because his father was drunk on the whiskey and it made him a little dizzy and the poet most likely hit something which scraped his ear. The poet also uses the word “romped”; this describes that the son and the father are having fun together waltzing even though they are being careless as they are bumping into the pots and pans in the kitchen which annoys the mother as described in the second stanza in the last two lines.

The controversial poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike; the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to reminisce on a bittersweet memory with his father. His unclear commemoration has sparked a divide on what the true purpose of the poem is. Some may argue the poem’s purpose is to shine light on the subject of abuse, whereas others believe the father and son were sharing a moment while “roughly playing.” However, the more one examines this piece of literature, it becomes undeniable that the poem portrays a scene of a toxic father-son relationship. Although there are a

Continuing the tone of the first stanza, in the second stanza of the poem the word romped makes their waltz sound carefree, but they “romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf.” Lines 5 and 6 show how their “waltz” is causing a violent disruption in their home that even the boys’ mother could not tolerate. Again with something that sounds as care free as dancing with your father Roethke implies an undertone of disturbance and violence that is inevitably taking a toll on their family and home life.

The poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a moving representation of childhood spent in a working middle class family. The speaker of this poem is a man recalling his childhood, his father and his mother through the means of a waltz. The following essay will present a detailed analysis of the dramatic situation and speaker through the explanations of the various poetic tools used in this poem such as similes, choice of words and style.

Here the narrator hangs onto his father “like death” (Roethke line 3) while they romp around the kitchen until the father takes the boy to bed, “Still clinging to [his] shirt” (Roethke 16). Though the tones of this poem suggest that the boy and his father didn’t get enough time with one another, the narrator seems to cherish this memory for whatever it is worth. The specific language, clinging, hanging on, and romping, all suggest a strong attachment of the narrator to his father, despite the suggestion that father and son may not see one another as much as they would

Theodore Roethke, the American poet who wrote many poems based on his past childhood events. For some short time he surrounded himself around his father, until he suddenly passed away. After the death, Roethke suffered many manic episodes of depression, anger and excitement. His poems also portray this sense of mania by alternating between happiness, fear and love. Roethke’s use of rhythm, rhyme and diction impact the theme of his poem: “My Papa’s Waltz”.

He feared a loss of intimacy with his father if he let go, if he did not participate in the dance: The dance thus serves as a metaphor for the overall relationship between father and son: intimate and vitally important for the boy, but also dizzying and anxiety provoking.” After Roethke’s father passed away when he was in high school he was left with emotions that he did not really know how to deal with and that is one of the reasons why he wrote this poem. The poem was a tribute to his father but it was also a way for him to come to terms with his feelings regarding his relationship with his father.

    Roethke’s use of syntax and imagery ruminates the idea that “My Papa’s Waltz” is about the loving memories he has with his father. Roethke chooses to use an iambic trimeter to create a waltz like rhythm for readers to understand the slow swaying of him and his father during this loving memory. He uses the metaphor of the “waltz” as a symbol

The poet Theodore Roethke in his dramatic poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” illustrates a moment in the life of a father and a son. As a result, readers have their own perspective of the poem either if it is about a child getting abused or a child going back to his childhood and talking about his wonderful memories with his father. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and context of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to an abusive father who is always drunk and abusing his son. He describes his childhood in this poem and how he was abused by his dad. While it is true that it might be about a father and a son having a fun moment and playing around with each other, it does not necessarily follow that it is positive because the poem has a larger number of a negative connotations than positive connotations.

Everyone has had precious moments in their childhood, spending time with their mothers and fathers. Be it a nice picnic on a bright, sunny day or family game night gathered around in the living room, it is a moment that we never want to forget. Famous American poet, Theodore Roethke, too had a memory to cherish: the time he played around with his father. Roethke, who had a father that worked hard at the family greenhouse, had few chances to spend time with his father or have fun with him.

Although many can argue that this poem is entirely based on the abuse his father brought upon Roethke, Many others believe that this poem is a reflection of his childhood memories, which the author remembers fondly. Not only had Roethke’s father died when he was a teenager, but his uncle, to which he was very close to, committed suicide. Considering he was surrounded by a dense cloud of death, It is obvious that the poem is about fond memories Roethke remembers about his father many years ago. Roethke didn’t have the best relationship with his father, there were some ups and downs, to which we can all relate to. However, he loved his father more than anything, which is just as lovely of a thought as a waltz is a