My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

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Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa's Waltz”, uses cryptic language to convince the reader that the child does not encounter abuse from his father, just a drunken dance.

The first stanza allows the reader to have an understanding of what the child is experiencing by using imagery. The reader immediately understands that the father consumes way too much alcohol by stating, “the whiskey on your breath” (Roethke 1). This line infers that the smell of ethanol was so strong that the child easily became “dizzy” (Roethke 2). The first stanza creates a tone that will be set for the rest of the poem, which involves an alcoholic father, fear, and abuse. According to common knowledge, in terms of technicality the waltz happens to be a fairly easy dance. Unfortunately, in the poem the “dance was not easy”(Roethke 4). While performing the waltz, one partner takes lead as the other follows; the leader usually has more experience so that the weaker partner can follow in the leader's foot steps. In this poem, the father was belligerent and unable to properly lead a smooth dance. If the waltz is executed properly it demonstrates the appropriate relationship a father and son should have. Rather than the appropriate relationship, this poem describes an unhealthy bond between father and son. …show more content…

The word romped appears, it makes this very important dance seem carefree, but they “romped until the pans” (Roethke 5). As the stanza goes on, the reader understands the father and son dance causes pandemonium in the house, that even his “mother’s countenance/could not unfrown itself” (Roethke 7/8). Yet again, another event as simple as dancing with your father, Roethke continues to carry out the same tone involving disturbance and violence that continues to take a toll on any of the relationships that involve the father, which results in destroying their

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