In Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz, and Lucille Clifton’s forgiving my father we can observe a complex relationship between the speaker and their father. Although the son in My Papa’s Waltz appears to be recalling a memory with fondness, the overall story is a symbol of the difficult relationship between the author and his dad. However, Roethke appears to very much love his father and accept him for who he was. On the other hand, in forgiving my father Clifton feels hatred towards her father, and is not able to forgive him for who he was. By comparing these two stories we see that it’s vital for one to accept his parents for who they are, even if they are not perfect. Or at the very least be able to forgive and forget.
In My Papa’s Waltz
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a young boy is telling us about an instance in which his father was very drunk, they are playfully waltzing around, they are knocking down pans all over the kitchen, and the mother seems to be getting upset, the dad is hurting the speaker with the dance, however the dad doesn’t appear to notice this. Eventfully, the dad puts his son to bed, however it appears that the son doesn’t want to let go of his father at that moment. Although the speaker appears to be recalling a memory with fondness that is not the case. The poem is a symbol of the difficult relationship between the speaker and his father. We know that Roethke’s father was a stern man, and this sort of behavior appears to be very much out of character, this is probably one of the reasons why Roethke remembers this incident. Nonetheless, when we start paying a close attention to the way the author presents this story and some of the words he chooses to use, it is not hard to see how this childhood story might be symbolic of the relationship between the author and his father. The very first thing that catches our attention happens in line 3. When the author uses the word “death”. He writes, “The whiskey on your breath, Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death:” (line 1-3). The use the of world “death” makes the situation sound very serious. The speaker intentionally makes it sound like he is on the edge of a cliff and if he let’s go, he will drop to his death. The author is surely not referring to being afraid that if he lets go of his father he will get physically hurt. In the worst case, if the speaker let’s go he will probably drop to the floor and take an accident kick from his father. Could this really by frightening the author that much? Considering the fact that he is already getting hurt, his ears are getting scraped by his dad’s belt, but he doesn’t appear to be complaining and annoyed by this. There surely must be a deeper meaning behind the reason the author chose to use this word. If the author was simply trying to tell a childhood memory that he remembers with fondness he would’ve surely used a different word. Perhaps he uses this particular word in the context of his relationship with his dad. He is doing everything he can to hang on to his relationship with his dad, and keep a positive relationship. Now this seems a lot more plausible, and it seems to fit the seriousness of the word “death” better. Because fracturing the relationship with one of your parents is not something that can heal in a week, the way a bruise will. Furthermore, throughout the poem we see that there are numerous reference to violence.
Whether Roethke is talking about his dad’s battered knuckle or about his dad spanking him on the head. This is a little unusual and perhaps there is a further meaning to this. In stanza three Roethke says something very significant, he writes “At every step you missed, My right ear scraped a buckle.” (line 11-12). The speaker here is telling us that he was the height of his father’s belt and he was getting hurt by the buckle of his father’s belt. Obviously in the context of the poem this seems to be unintentional. However, the many references to violence in this poem might tell us that there could be a hidden meaning. The fact that the author includes this image of a boy getting hurt by a belt and his father not being aware of this is perhaps telling us something. Especially, when we take into consideration that belts are probably the most common prop that parents use to beat their children. Perhaps, the author is implying that his dad used to beat him with a belt. But he wasn’t aware that this wasn’t helping him in the long …show more content…
run. Nevertheless, the story appears to end on a high note, Roethke writes “Then waltzed me off to bed, still clinging to your shirt” (line 15-16). After spending so much time referring to violence, the author ends the poem by painting this adorable picture. There is surely a reason for this. It’s interesting that the author chooses to use the pronoun “you”. In most of the story it appears that the speaker is telling the story to the reader, but he ends the poem by talking directly to his father. It’s almost as if he is saying directly to his dad, despite everything I still love you dad. And it seems like Roethke has very much accepted his dad for who he was, and forgiven his mistakes. In forgiving my father the mood off the poem is completely different. A young daughter whose parents have passed away seems to be very upset at her father, she feels like her father owes her something, she doesn’t necessarily want this for herself but she wants this for her mother. Although, she ends the poem by implying that she is ready to move on, it doesn’t appear like she really means it. It’s clear by the language used by the author, that she hates her father. She is fuming with anger when she writes “there is no more time for you there / will never be time enough daddy daddy old lecher / old liar” (line 8-10). Despite her anger, and her insisting that she doesn’t have time for her dad, it looks like she just can’t get him out of her mind. This is also affecting her personal life. At the beginning of the poem the speaker informs us that she’s been thinking about her father for a while, she writes “all week you have stood in my dreams”. This tells us that this is probably not the first time she finds herself in this resentful state of mind, Furthermore, She mentions the fact that it’s Friday a couple of times. Friday is a time when she should probably be somewhere with friends enjoying the end of the week. She knows very well that at this moment she should not be at home filled with all this anger. This is precisely why she mentions the fact that it’s Friday twice. She wants the reader to be aware of this. It’s seems like in her hearth she understands that it’s imperative to forgive her father for the sake of her life and her future. This is why she gives the poem the title “forgiving my father”. After all that’s what she wants to accomplish. The Speaker does try to forgive her father at the end of the poem she says “what am i doing here collecting? / you lie side by side in debtors' boxes / and no accounting will open them up.”(line 19-21). It almost like she is kind of saying, you are dead, it’s not like I’ll ever get anything out of you, there is no point of me being angry no more. Although, she kind of tries to half-heartedly forgive her father and move on with her life at the end, it appears the she hasn’t been able to truly forgive him and move on with her life. It just doesn’t look plausible that a person who is furious yelling at someone for a while can truly end a dispute by saying “it’s whatever, it’s in the past, its fine”. By the looks of things she’ll probably be spending another Friday night thinking about her father. At the core of Clifton’s anger is the fact that she feels like her mother and her were owed something from her dad. She writes “today is payday, payday old man; / my mother's hand opens in her early grave (lines 5-6)”. It’s hard to make out, exactly what kind of a payment she is referring to here. Maybe she is angry that her dad never gave them the respect she and her mom deserved. ……..(Need more time to think about it) We can clearly draw a contrast between Roethke’s attitude towards his dad and Clifton attitude towards her dad.
Roethke has accepted her dad for who he was, and has forgiven him for the things he has done wrong. Just by looking at his poem, Roethke never attacks his father or says anything disrespectful about his dad. In fact he calls him “pappy”, we get a sense that there is special place in his hearth despite the fact that they’ve had a rocky relationship at times, and Roethke still loves his dad. On the other hand, Clifton hates her dad for who he was and is nowhere near close to forgiving him yet. She actually refers to him as “lecher”. It is certainly true that Clifton’s problems with her dad appear to be more severe than Roethke’s. This is probably why it’s so much harder for her to forgive, however there is no denying the fact that her inability to forgive her father is seriously affecting her. As we already examined, she is staying at home on a Friday nights, when instead she should be enjoying life. There comes a point at which Clifton should just forgive and forget. Not because whatever she feels like she is owned is not right, but because it’s necessary for her
future. To conclude, although the son in My Papa’s Waltz appears to be recalling a memory with fondness, the overall story is a symbol of their complex relationship. But after taking a close look at the end of the poem Roethke appears to appreciate his dad for who he was. On the contrary, Clifton will never be happy until she is able to forgive her father. By comparing these two stories we see that it’s vital for one to accept his parents for who they are, even if they are not perfect.
The most notable qualities of Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” are the tone and language of the poem which convey the nostalgia adult author feels thinking about the time spent with his father. In the title narrator’s father is affectionately referred to as “Papa” making the impression that the main character and his father are close. The use of possessive pronoun “my” contributes to the overall impression that the father holds special place in the narrator’s heart. As word “waltz” in the title implies the poem gives account of the festive occasion in which the narrator’s father takes part.
While most of us think back to memories of our childhood and our relationships with our parents, we all have what he would call defining moments in our views of motherhood or fatherhood. It is clearly evident that both Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden have much to say about the roles of fathers in their two poems as well. While the relationships with their fathers differ somewhat, both men are thinking back to a defining moment in their childhood and remembering it with a poem. "My Papa's Waltz" and "Those Winter Sundays" both give the reader a snapshot view of one defining moment in their childhood, and these moments speak about the way these children view their fathers. Told now years later, they understand even more about these moments.
The major themes of the poem reflect the poet's own inner life and his struggle with the loss of his father. Through this complicated and intricate poem the inner feelings of the poet are made manifest through the speaker's tone towards the father. The exchange between father and son represents a magical moment in the speaker's childhood: dancing the waltz with his father. In the second stanza, the poet comments “My mother's countenance / could not unfrown itself (Roethke 7-8).” Here the poet seems to regret the fact that he hoarded his father's time after a long day at work, when his father could have been s...
There is more that reveals what Roethke is trying to say. Roethke writes, “The summer house shaped like a village band stand/–And grandfather’s sinister hovering hand.” (2.3,2.4). Roethke starts again by describing the house and things in it. And once again the reader gets hit with these thoughts. He uses a simile to describe the house as a village bandstand. A house that is alone and one of those places you go to getaway. The more important thing is that he uses a metaphor to say “-And grandfather’s sinister hovering hand.” He remembers that about the house. This is where the reader gets the thought that his grandfather was an abusive man. Roethke remembers that sinister hovering hand right before he was physically hurt. Like he is looking at the house and he is seeing the hand, because he was scarred with these memories.
He states, “The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle; at every step you missed my right ear scraped a buckle” (Roethke line 9-12). This could be could be taken as a symbolism for an abusive father. The hand that was battered on one knuckle could be seen as a hand that has been in a fight. The statement of missing a step and scrapping my ear on a buckle could be seen as imagery of abuse or being lifted up and the child not being able to control his steps and being drug along in a fearful manner.
In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the speaker is reflecting on a childhood experience involving his father. Some people assume that this poem is about a happy relationship between a father and son while other people assume that this poem emphasizes hidden messages of parental abuse. In my
One of the ways Roethke has described the abusive relationship is through the use of verbs. To set the stage of the night, Roethke starts off the poem by saying, “The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy;” (line 1-2), which implies that his father has drank a lot. Roethke has used several verbs in the poem to describe what is going on, which give off a very violent vibe. Roethke used, “hung”, “held”, “scraped”, “beat”, and “clinging” to show us the abuse he suffered. The order in which the verbs have been positioned is interesting too. It is Roethke who “hung” on to his father, “scraped” his
The poem imaginatively re-creates a childhood encounter with his father. It may be read as an uplifting memory of a happy day, however when one engages further into investigating Roethke’s work, a darker perspective of the event emerges (Bachelorandmaster, 2015). Although we cannot identify that this poem is explicitly about his father from just simply reading it, when deeply exploring Roethke’s relationship with his father further, it can be identified that both the poem and relationship are connected in this way. The story conveys both the fathers love for the son and the son’s fear of this overpowering event, a combination which explains why the poem haunted so many of it’s readers (Shmoop,
Ultimately, the subject of “ My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred a passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke wrote “ My Papa’s Waltz” to illustrate on a past memory of his drunk and abusive father. The controversy of the poem itself is whether it is a good or bad memory. The use of negative imagery, syntax, and diction support this. Overall, with the explanation of the poem and the use of syntax, diction and imagery “ My Papa’s Waltz” was about Theodore Roethke’s drunk and abusive
“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a representation of the journey toward reconciliation of the love and the fear that the speaker, a young boy, has for his father, and is an extended metaphor for the way that we balance the good and bad in our lives. Whilst reading this poem it is impossible to determine definitively whether it is truly about a dance or if the speaker is actually being abused. However, I don’t believe that it really matters either way. Actually, I believe it is this ambiguity and push and pull between the two extremes that creates the overall sense of struggle that comes with the reconciliation of the facets of the father and son’s relationship. This dance between love and fear is accentuated by Roethke’s use of ambiguous diction, end rhyme, and iambic trimeter.
Theodore Roethke’s poem, My Papa’s Waltz (1948), presents both a warming memory of a boy and his father as well as a dark story of an abusive childhood. Combining a story of both joy and horror sends an important message of abuse and the fear it instills in the victims. Through Roethke’s structure and word choice in My Papa’s Waltz presents two stories which simultaneously depict the fear and Stockholm Syndrome type love often found in abusive relationships.
Childhood experiences seem to be the ones that are recollected most vividly throughout a person's life. Almost everyone can remember some aspect of his or her childhood experiences, pleasant and unpleasant alike. Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz" suggests even further that this concept could be true. The dance described in this poem illustrates an interaction between father and child that contains more than the expected joyous, loving attitude between the two characters. Roethke's tone in this work exhibits the blended, yet powerful emotions that he, as a grown man, feels when looking back on this childhood experience. The author somewhat implicates feelings of resentment fused with a loving reliance with his father.
The events of our childhood and interactions with our parents is an outline of our views as parents ourselves. Although Robert Hayden’s relationship with his father differentiates from the relationship of Theodore Roethke and his father, they are both pondering back to their childhood and expressing the events in a poem. “My Papa’s Waltz” and “Those winter Sundays” provide the reader with an image of a childhood event which states how fathers are being viewed by their children. These poems reflect upon the relationship of the father and child when the child was a youth. Both Roethke and Hayden both indicate that their fathers weren’t perfect although they look back admiringly at their fathers’ actions. To most individuals, a father is a man that spends time with and takes care of them which gains him love and respect. An episode of Roethke’s childhood is illustrated in “My Papa’s Waltz”. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, the father comes home showing signs of alcohol and then begins waltzing with his son. Roethke states that the father’s hands are “battered on one knuckle”. The mother was so upset about the dancing that she did nothing other than frown. At the end of the day, the father waltzed the son to bed. “Those Winter Sundays” is based on a regular Sunday morning. The father rises early to wake his family and warm the house. To warm the house, he goes out in the cold and splits wood to start a fire. This is a poem about an older boy looking back to his childhood and regretting that “No one ever thanked him.” In Those Winter Sundays'; by Robert Hayden, the poet also relinquishes on a regular occurrence in his childhood. On Sunday mornings, just as any other morning, his father rises early and puts on his clothes in the cold darkness. He ...
In the poem "My Papa's Waltz" written by Theodore Roethke, can be interpreted in two different ways. Some people think that this poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and son. Other people believe that this poem has a hidden message of parental abuse. The poets use of poetic devices gave the impression of the love between the father and son, not of an abusive relationship.
Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is about a relationship between a father and his son. Beginning with the title, the author's meticulous choice of voca...