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Imagery in “my papa’s waltz”by theodore roethke
Interpretation of My Papa's Waltz by Theodore Roethke
Theodore roethke, “my papa’s waltz analysis”
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Owlcation»Humanities»Literature
Reaction to the Poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke
Poetry is open to interpretation
Since poetry is an openly passionate form of expression and every individual is unique in his or her own personal way, one could potentially interpret one poem in more than one way. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz,” I interpreted the author’s overall meaning and general expression of his diction as two or three different ideas. The more times I read the poem, the more I developed a different sense of this deeply strong and emotional piece. I eventually came to a cohesive meaning of the written piece after a few perplexed readings.
In “My Papa’s Waltz,” a young boy reminisces a family memory between himself and his father. Throughout this powerfully written poem, Roethke recollects the enjoyment of his father’s company just before bedtime. In lines 7-8, Roethke does mention a stern mother who does not partake or enjoy the messy rough housing, but I infer Roethke intended this poem for one
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parent: the father. Another inference that could be made is that the young boy is Theodore Roethke himself. Read it a few times before making a final assumption After my first reading of this poem, I thought Roethke portrayed the scenario in a dark, depressed tone. I thought it was about a boy recalling his abusive father. A few specific lines brought me to this conclusion, “The whisky on your breath /Could make a small boy dizzy; /but I hung on like death: /Such waltzing was not easy” (lines 1-4). There were also a few words that lead to the assumption of a much darker meaning behind the poem, such as “death” and “battered.” With the second reading of “My Papa’s Waltz,” I decided to read the piece out loud with hopes of seeing the poem in a new light. By reading it aloud, I realized this poem seems more like a loving memory between father and son. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” the narrator enjoys the playful fight with his father. The very last stanza helped me to come to this conclusion with, “Then waltzed me off to bed/Still clinging to your shirt” (line 14-15). These two lines helped me to determine the narrator’s state of mind. Eventually, I put my first interpretation and my second interpretation together to form my final thoughts. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” I believe Theodore Roethke intended the narrator to reminisce about his father who is no longer living. This does seem to be a happy yet sad poem. Roethke intended to portray fond memories. It seems as though Roethke utilizes a few literary devices in order to help the reader better understand that there were some unideal attributes to the narrator’s father. I believe the controversial traits the narrator sheds some light on is the dark or depressive tone that I came across in my first reading. The narrator does seem to excuse or forgive these negative traits throughout the poem. Through symbolism and a skillful use of meter and rhyme, Roethke shares this emotional whirlwind with his readers. Rough Housing Did you rough house with your mom or dad when you were younger? Yes, of course! Absolutely not! Sometimes See results The literary devices and elements I spotted One literary convention I thought was the most recognizable is Roethke’s use of symbolism throughout the poem. The waltz is generally danced with two people to a somewhat slow, rhythmic song. In “My Papa’s Waltz,” readers expect to see this cohesive partnership and fundamental relationship between a father and child just by reading the title of this piece. Theodore Roethke compares the definition and general dance of a waltz to the rough housing before bed between a father and son. Line 14, “With a palm caked hard with dirt,” and lines 9-10, “The hand that held my wrist/Was battered on one knuckle,” lead me to believe that this father was a working man.
Roethke used imagery to show his readers that this father may have made some forgivable mistakes, but he worked hard for his family and still came home after a hard night’s work to enjoy a romp with his son. Roethke continues to symbolize this loving memory of a boy and his father by comparing it to a waltz. His diction allowed the reader to imagine this sometimes-too-rough rough housing was a dance between father and son. Roethke referred to specific terms that are used often when it comes to dance. In line 11, Roethke writes, “At every step you missed.” He also made his readers visualize a linked dance between the two with lines, such as “You beat time on my head” (line 13). Symbolism was not the only powerful form of literary conventions that stood out to me in this
poem. Another poetic device that basically screams off of the pages is Roethke’s lyrical use of rhyme and rhythmical use of meter. Contrary to what most people believe, not all poetry is written in rhymes. “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is written with a specific rhyming scheme. The rhymes help the reader visualize this memory as the waltz Roethke intended to symbolize. Dictionary.com (2013) defines a waltz as, “a ballroom dance, in moderately fast triple meter, in which the dancers revolve in perpetual circles, taking one step to each beat” (Waltz). Roethke utilizes his reader’s imagination and basic knowledge of a waltz to create this cohesive dance between the father and son. By using the word waltz, Roethke led his readers to believe this was a unified dance between the two. The rhythmical use of meter Roethke incorporates in “My Papa’s Waltz” also contributes to the reader’s imagination. Just like Roethke’s consistent use of rhyme throughout the poem, his use of meter helps the reader visualize this fragmented yet unified dance between the father and the son in the poem. The rhythmic pattern of Roethke’s diction allows the reader to think of a song or melody to accompany his lyrical words. Throughout the piece, Roethke relies on the reader’s imagination to interpret this deeply emotional piece. Beautiful illustrations on this blog! Beautiful illustrations on this blog! | Source People are unique in their very own way With most (some might argue all) poems, the reader and the author must completely rely on his or her imagination in order to formulate some kind of interpretation. The author’s imagination connects with the reader’s imagination through the combination of words, rhythms, and symbolism. The present environment as well as the past environment can help to manipulate this imagination. For example, I just watched a horror movie right before I read “My Papa’s Waltz” for the first time. My imagination still had remnants of what I just watched, which lead me to believe the piece was dark or depressing. The second time I read the poem, my son and husband were playing on the living room floor as I read it out loud. My imagination helped to piece a few things together and realize this poem reflected a loving memory of a boy and his father. I used my imagination mixed with what I knew about life and my environment to interpret this poem. The reason why people say poetry is open to interpretation is because no one has the same exact experiences and imagination. People in general are unique in his or her own individual way; therefore, each individual’s imagination that leads his or her to any particular interpretation is just as unique.
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.
Theodore Roethke's poem “My Papa's Waltz” is a unique American poem which is written in iambic trimeter. The poem captures the sometimes intense relationship between father and son. Roethke's own father, a German immigrant, died when he was still a teenager. His father was a major inspiration in his life and images from his childhood appear throughout his poetry. A biographer, Matt Forster comments that “His poems are often explorations of his own psyche, using imagery from his childhood to describe his interior life (Forster 2005).” He became one of the best known American poets by the end of his lifetime in 1963. In the famous poem “My Papa's Waltz” the author uses musicality and deep psychologically-rooted themes to create a poem that is unforgettable and alive with action. The poem is composed in iambic trimeter which parallels the 1, 2, 3 tempo of a waltz. This feature helps in creating the illusion of musicality and dancing as is suggested in the poem's title. Thematically the poem comments on the oedipal complex, the intimate relationship between father and son, loss, memory and music.
My Papa’s Waltz has been compared to a generational litmus test. Depending on what generation the reader was born, could determine how the reader would interpret this poem. Each generation has its own views that have been developed in them for the language used to describe Papa in this poem. The whiskey on his breath and Papa’s hand beating on his head, both sound like a negative connotation. Depending on the experience of the reader, they can either be disturbed by these words or be drawn in closer to the poem. Theodore Roethke loved his father. Not only did he love him, but he idolized him and unfortunately lost him at an early age. This poem is a reflective memorial waltz written in iambic trimeter to honor his father and mother.
In his recollection, Roethke's father comes home drunk after a hard day of work. The young boy and his father decide to partake in a little dance. While waltzing, the two get a little rambunctious with each other. As a result, some people view this poem with a disdainful-like perception and suppose Theodore wrote the poem with dark thoughts in mind. Rather, despite his father's drunkenness, the young Theodore enjoyed every second of it. There is a strong bond between them that upon careful examination, one can clearly understand in the poem "My Papa's Waltz."
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.
When one becomes a father, he undertakes many responsibilities: setting a positive example, enforcing discipline for misbehavior, overviewing the safety of his children, providing a loving atmosphere, and numerous other tasks. In Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” the narrator reminisces on the memories of his “papa” through the metaphor of an aggressive “waltz.” Using descriptions of the father’s actions and the reactions of the mother, Roethke illustrates the situation with carefully selected vocabulary. These actions of the narrator’s “papa” can be interpreted as either positive and loving or as inappropriate and unnecessary. After a brief analysis of the poem, readers might assume that the narrator’s memories of his father reflect
Although the dance between him and his father was rough and aggressive, the very fact that Roethke chose to write about the waltz indicates that it is a special moment he remembers sharing with his father. The poet has a remarkable ability to describe the moment and not his feelings. This is what makes "My Papa's Waltz" so interesting and leaves so much to interpretation.
While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to illustrate an affectionate memory of a dance between his father and his younger self. The nostalgic tone weaved throughout the poem’s creative structure and descriptions of his fond memory.
Theodore Roethke writes in “My Papa’s Waltz” about what many would read as a morbid recollection of childhood trauma, resting under a veil of innocent language and tone. The work is what it is - poetry. So, while the theme or the tone may seem childlike and light hearted at times, it interprets as dark once one dissects the work.
While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to express a fond memory between him and his father dancing when he was young. Roethke had a loving relationship with his father even if he was constantly working in a greenhouse. “My Papa’s Waltz” was first published in his book The Lost Son and Other Poems. This shows that he still deeply thinks about his father passing away and has not fully recovered. Professors, scholars, and students have debated whether the subject of the poem is an abusive night with his drunken father late at night, or a memorable night with his father dancing throughout the house. One might argue that the connotation of words such as “beat,” “whiskey,” and “romped” can connotate to the reader assuming abusive actions are involved throughout the
In the late nineteen forties, Theodore Roethke emerged with a poem that has been the source of much debate. "My Papa's Waltz," is an account of a relationship between son and father. Alas, many readers who are exposed to this piece fail to note the love present in the connection of the characters. In an attempt to illuminate the author's true intention several factors must be examined. After several examinations of Roethke's poem as well as learning of his childhood it is evident that this poem does not suggest an abusive environment, but is an appreciative account of the love and playfulness between the characters. Therefore, a successful interpretation of this poem will look beyond the four stanzas and study not only the history of the writing, but the life of the poet.
While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke has spurred passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery and syntax of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to have mixed complexed opinions within the reader's inner soul for which many think the poem was about a young child getting abused by his dad but it comes to find out that it was an uplifting poem of a dad who drank that night and was play fighting with his son.
My Papas waltz by “Theodore Roethke can be read in a lot of ways. My interpretation on the poem is a parent abusing his child due to alcoholism. This poem relates to the author’s relationship with his father as a child. The author Theodore Roethke had a fight with father when he was younger, he uses this memory to create this poem. Theodore loved his father, but his father terrified him at the same time.
The three poems acknowledge the fathers; however, the poems are different in their mood. The mood of Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” is exciting. The poem is a childhood memory of Roethke’s father whirling him around the kitchen. The poet describes how the poet feels, as his father whirls him around. Roethke wrote, “breath and death,” “dizzy and easy.” (“Papa” 1-4) The reader imagines the father whirling the boy around, and the boy holding on tight to his father. The poet wrote, “We romped until the pans/slid from the kitchen shelf.” (“Papa” 5-6) and “My mother’s countenance/Could not unfrown itself.” (“Papa” 7-8) The mother appears to dislike the whirling around in the kitchen, but the poet uses the word “romp,” which indicates it was playful and fun. The rhyme gives the reader the choice of interpreting the poem with a favorable or unfavorable meaning. I believe the poet’s childhood memory demonstrates the father’s attention and love for his son.