A Defining Moment in My Papa’s Waltz

A Defining Moment in My Papa’s Waltz

An older boy remembered his father, a hardworking blue collar man. He remembered how his father would walk into the home each evening with scraped hands and perspiration stained shirts. His father was a tough man. He was the kind of man that refused to go to the doctor and rarely hugged his children. Yet, he was a good man. The boy remembered how his father provided for the family and often times his smallest actions proved his paternal love for them. One particular memory stood out among the rest. His father had returned home from work late one evening. He had been out celebrating his pay raise with some of his co-workers down at the local pub. He waltzed through the door bursting with excitement and proudly picked his son up swinging him around. The boy and father playfully tackled and wrestled in the living room. Similarly, poetry reveals unforgettable moments such as the one between the father and son. Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" captures a positive bonding experience between a father and son through vivid imagery and use of ...