Comparing My Papa's Waltz 'And Those Winter Sundays'

Md Syful Islam

J. Baumgartner

Eng102.0822

June 5, 2015

Essay #2, Revision

Fathers

To most individuals, a father is not a man who fertilizes a mother’s egg- rather- a father is one who dedicates time and energy for his family as he is the backbone of the household. “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden are two similar poems that speak about the relationship between fathers and their children. Though their fathers were not flawless, in retrospect, respectively, both Theodore Roethke and Robert Hayden admire their fathers and the sacrifices they made on their family’s behalf. Nevertheless, although both poems appear to be similar in their content, both “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those

Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden differ in tone- ultimately differing in authorial intent.
“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke speaks about a boy who recalls how his drunken father would dance with him when he was a young boy.

Though the father’s waltz was difficult for the boy to follow through with, Theodore Roethke’s tone suggests the undisputable love the boy felt for his father. As highlighted in “Reothke’s Revisions and the Tone of ‘My Papa’s Waltz,’” this can be seen right from the start in which Roethke made a choice between titling the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” as opposed to “The Dance” in which he referred to Papa as Father (McKenna 37). As McKenna states, “Roethke clearly preferred the more familiar ‘Papa’ to the formal ‘Father’ for “…’Papa’ would be particularly appropriate for a young child’s affectionate address for his father” (McKenna 37). This choice has positive connotation and suggests a more compassionate and loving relationship shared among the

two.
“My Papa’s Waltz” continues in such a manner in which negative aspects are contradicted by positive aspects.

This can be seen especially in stanza four: “You beat time on my head / With a palm caked hard by dirt, / Then waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt.” Because Roethke’s father was an alcoholic, who worked at a greenhouse during the day, when Otto passed away due to cancer, Roethke was forced to mature before other’s his age (Turpin 478). Nonetheless, he does not blame his father for such. Rather- the last line of the poem suggests how dear his father was to him despite his flaws. As a result, though many critics like Turpin would argue of Reothke’s father’s abusive nature and the dysfunctional relationship shared, bearing in mind that this poem was written in the early 1900s, a contemporary reader would be misguided to assume that child abuse was understood and emphasized in the same manner it is today. In fact, considering that Theodore Reothke’s father died when he was only fourteen one is safe to assume, his father’s death impacted much of Reothke’s later

life.
“Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden speaks about a boy who reminiscences the memory of his father in which he looks back into his youth and feels great appreciation for all the labor performed by his father on his behalf. Nevertheless, in retrospect, though the author feels much gratefulness towards his father, the tone used throughout the poem suggests a regretful realization of blind ingratitude. As Harry Moore suggests in “’Offices of Love’: A New Look at the Ending of Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays,” this can be seen right from the forceful sentence that ends stanza one: “No one ever thanked him” (Moore 56). This suggests that the author feels guilt ridden, for he “owed his father gratitude that he did not express” (Moore 58). This guilt is depicted further in the last two lines of stanza three in which Hayden ends the poem by stating, “What did I know, what did I know / of love’s austere and lonely offices?” The use of rhetoric in the first of these lines imply that Hayden was ignorant of what one, generally, sacrifices for another purely out of love. However, the usage of the words “austere,” “lonely,” and “offices” indicate a twist in the overall intent of the poem.
Although most people romanticize and idealize love, Hayden’s conclusion is rich, for “it is …an affirmation of love in a cold and lonely world” (Moore 59). In fact, considering that Hayden was a child who was given away by his biological parents to his foster parents- who never officially adopted him, one can only imagine the pain in loving. This is greatly emphasized by all the “K” sounds throughout the text: “blueblack, cracked, ached, thanked, banked… chronic” (Gallagher 246). This poetic device allows for a melodramatic tone as it transitions from a feeling of admiration to a feeling of guilt.
Thought perception is but an opinion, My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden greatly differ in tone and authorial intent. Though both poems refer to the memory of a father, one poem reeks of guilt while the other of admiration. Nevertheless, both poems cannot be sold short of their power and worth- just as each father cannot.

Works Cited
Baumgartner, Jennifer. “Poetry Course Reading Packet.” Course Notes. English 102.0822. Dept. of English, LaGuardia Community College. 24 May 2015.
Gallagher, Ann M. "Hayden's Those Winter Sundays." Explicator 51.4 (1993): 245. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 24 May 2015.
McKenna, John J. "Roethke's Revisions and the Tone of `My Papa's Waltz.'." Anq 11.2 (1998): 34. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Moore, Harry. "“Offices Of Love”: A New Look At The Ending Of Hayden's Those Winter Sundays." Explicator 69.2 (2011): 56. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Turpin, Jeff P. and Robert W. Fuhrman. "Adaptive And Maladaptive Poetry: In Plath, Roethke, Kunitz, And Moraga." Style 46.3/4 (2012): 479. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.