My Papa Waltz By Theodore Roethke

The Poem “My Papa Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is about a young boy waltzing with his father who has had a little too much whiskey and ends up getting violent. The theme of the poem is respect and admiration because even though the boy’s dad treats him rough, he still shows love and respect towards him. Symbolism, irony, simile, and diction play a huge part in the poem because they all help develop the theme and help the readers have a better understanding on what is occurring.

Symbolism is a great element used in this poem. Symbolism gives an extended definition of a word beyond its literal meaning. In the first stanza the speaker indicates the father’s breathe smelling like whisky which is so is strong that it “Could make a small boy dizzy” (Line 2). While the father acts rough towards his child, the son manages to still hold on

tight, the boy states “such waltzing was not easy.” (4) The Father symbolizes dominance and power in the family because no matter how he treats his son, he will not let go.
Irony is the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite.

Irony is used a lot throughout the poem. The title itself “My Papa Waltz” is ironic because instead of the father and the boy dancing around having a good time, it turns out to be a horrible time for the son. This is ironic because dancing is a playful word that should not be

involved with physical pain. The speaker states “My right ear scraped a buckle” (12) this shows that instead of dancing around having fun it sounds like he is miserable and getting injured in the process of his dad’s drunken foolishness.

Simile is the comparison of one thing with another using “like” or “as” and is used to let readers get a better description of things. The poet uses simile to emphasize how strongly and committed the boy is to hold on tight to his father and not let go, the speaker states “But I hung on like death” (3) No matter how miserable and disgusted the son is by his father’s actions, he does not let go, which plays a major part in the theme in the poem, showing respect and admiration towards his father, regardless of the horrible time he is

having.
Diction is a choice of words that suggests the writer’s style. In “My Papa Waltz”, the diction is very important; it helps the reader interpret the meaning of poem and the relationship of the father and son. While the father is roughly playing with his son, the speaker indicates how the boy “hung on” to his father, implying the care he has for him (3). Certain words in the poem create the sense that the father is being violent such as “beat time” and “My ear scraped a buckle” (12). McKenna states: “In line 1, Roethke replaced the rather benign “kept” with “beat” thus making the situation more ominous, more negative” (McKenna). The choice of words indicate the level or degree of roughness, the father is treating the boy; the speaker could have chosen more gentle words instead but uses harsher words to give a negative connotation. These words help unravel the theme of the poem in a gradual way because the words give the father violent and abusive characteristics, but the boy does not seem to take it in a bad way because he still cares for his father deeply.
Roethke dose a great job with the word choice of the poem. Symbolism, Irony, Simile, and the Diction of the poem help unveil the theme of the poem in a timely manner. They help the readers have a better understanding of the characters in the poem