My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

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Theodore Roethke was a nineteenth-century poet who wrote satiric poetry, poetry that conveys a message but remains comical. Roethke talked freely about his struggle with depression and his difficult childhood especially after the loss of his father, which may have inspirited him to write the 1948 poem, “My Papa’s Waltz.” Within this poem Roethke was able to capture his audience with his words through the eyes of the speaker. The speaker, a young boy; expresses his thoughts while dancing the waltz with his father, whom appears drunk and clumsy. Roethke’s attention to details in the poem helps his readers form clear images of a boy who loves and fears his father by using words such as death, dizzy, or scraped. Throughout the poem there is contrast …show more content…

In this poem the young boy starts off by informing the reader of his fathers drinking problem. The boy states, “The whiskey on your breathe/ Could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke, 2013, lines 1-2). The message that is being conveyed is a father who is portrayed as careless and unaware of the child’s wellbeing. Even though the young boy expresses his animosity towards the heavy scent of alcohol, Roethke quickly confirms the boy’s willingness to hold on: “But I hung on like death” (Roethke, 2013, line 3). The power behind this simile is the words “hung on” and “death.” Death is not something that can actually attach itself to a person, but Roethke is implying that the young boy’s fear of falling is forcing him to hang …show more content…

The fact that Roethke is critical of the fathers rough housing with the boy, leads the reader to believe the father is dangerous and harmful. However, he also shows the playfulness within the poem through humor. In the poem he says, “We romp until the pans,” (Roethke, 2013, line 5) which help inform the reader of the innocence when dancing the waltz. The word “romp” tells the audience that their dancing is rough, but energetic allowing the reader to see the positive in waltzing. Despite Roethke’s playful words, quickly it is clear that the father takes the waltz a step to far: “At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle” (Roethke, 2013, lines 11-12). Based on the speaker’s tone, the audience can assume that even though the dancing is playful and fun, it is also is rough and

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