Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” depicts a boy who is reminiscing days gone by; he recalls one specific night when he was “waltzing” with his father. Like all literary works, poetry is open to interpretation. Every line of a poem affects each individual reader in a unique and personal way. Authors of poetry use this particular style of writing to express deep-seeded emotions. Readers can interpret a piece of literature emotion based on what is common in that time period of society. Readers can also relate to these emotions based on their own life experiences. With how common child abuse was in that time period and even today’s society, some view this poem as an innocent moment of bonding between father and son, but others see it …show more content…
as a small child being abused by his father. With child abuse being very common in that time period, Roethke’s poem has a certain way with words that could make a reader think the situation is child abuse.
In the third stanza of “My Papa’s Waltz,” the readers will notice the lines read: “The hand that held my wrist/was battered on one knuckle.” Roethke’s audience is under the impression that they are a lower class family and the father works somewhere the requires manual labor. Some might believe that be boy respects his father and the hard work he does. Others will focus more on the “battered knuckle” and the father’s hand placement. This injury to his hand could have happened in a work accident, but it also could have happened in a prior altercation with his child or wife, not to mention the word battered is commonly used as a substitution for the word abuse. When waltzing, a man typically hands his partner's hand, not their wrist. Typically when a child is grabbed by the wrist it is a form of punishment. Roethke shows his audience that there is a fine line between respect and …show more content…
intimidation. With child abuse being so common in today’s society, families with an abusive parent or spouse often feel as though they can not do anything to stop the abuse. In stanza two, Roethke states that they “romped until the pans/ slid from the kitchen shelf.” An alternate term for the word romp is “horseplay.” While some assume this is “all in good fun,” others will feel that this is too rough for a small child and too small to defend himself if things turned violent. The little boy’s mother’s “countenance/ could not unfrown itself.” Her expressions could be taken as a typical “boys will be boys” reaction to her husband and son playing. She could also be frowning because she doesn’t like what she sees and wishes it would stop, but cannot do anything about it. Most readers have a difficult time determining whether these lines represent a man being silly and playing with his son, or if there is a darker message behind them. In society, many people with an abusive parent or spouse feel as though they can’t let go even if their loved one is hurting them.
Roethke informs the audience in stanza one that the little boy “hung on like death.” Some will pay close attention to the use of the word death; it is used early on to show readers this may not be just a happy memory, but it is also haunted. Death is also the one thing no one can escape. Maybe the little boy felt that he needed to escape his father but knew that was not possible, just like it is impossible to escape death. It is hard for the reader to determine why the little boy felt he had to hold on so
tightly. This poem, like all other literary works, can be interpreted in several different ways. Every individual’s personal experiences and what is going on in the society at that time period will influence their interpretation of this poem. There will be some that believe it is a happy memory of a boy bonding with his father, and others who will think it is a boy reflecting on a time when his father abused him. This poem was written during the nineteen forties, a time where many families were poor and fathers worked long, hard days. Many of them turn to alcohol, which then led to abuse from taking out their frustrations on their spouses and children. Roethke's audience may never know the true meaning behind his poem.
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...
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
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
Abuse is a difficult and sensitive subject that can have long lasting effects. These traumatic emotional effects are often intensified if the abuse happens at a young age because children do not understand why the abuse is happening or how to deal with it. There are many abuse programs set up to counter the severe effects which abuse can have. Even more, poets and writers all over the world contribute works that express the saddening events and force the public to realize it is much more real than the informative articles we read about. One such poem is Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz which looks carefully through the eyes of a young boy into the household of an abusive father. Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays is a similar poem from the perspective of a young adult reflecting back on the childhood relationship with his father and the abuse his father inflicted. These poems are important because they deal with the complex issues surrounding the subject of abuse and also show the different ways which children react to it. My Papa’s Waltz and Those Winter Sundays are similar poems because they use tone, imagery, and sounds and rhythms to create tension between the negative aspects of abuse and the boys own love and understanding for their father.
Today, people tend to believe that hitting a person is abuse. Although, many people can connect with ¨My Papaś Waltz¨ by Theodore Roethke, the intended audience is himself illustrating a past memory of his childhood. The controversy of the poem is whether itś a good or bad memory. While the subject of “My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred a passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly supports the interpretation that Theodore Roethke wrote “My Papa’s Waltz” to illustrate on a past memory of his drunk and abusive father.
While one reading of My Papa’s Waltz creates visions of a warm home and a cheerful family, a deeper reading creates a story of fear, abuse, and the effects of alcoholism. Roethke’s poem sends an important message about abuse. Victims of abuse often hide behind a happy, healthy visage, although the signs of abuse are glaring. My Papa’s Waltz shows how easy it is for victims of abuse to hide the truth of the horrors they face. Therefore, the poem sends the message that it is always important to keep a vigilant watch for the signs of abuse, for even the happiest tales can have darker
" Certainly, this small boy's family life has its frightening side, but the last line suggests the boy is still clinging to his father with persistent if also complicated love" (Kennedy and Gioia 668). Although their dance appears to be "comic", Roethke seems to possess "an odd and ambivalent closeness" to his apparently intoxicated father (Balakian 62). Still, even more evidence of these mixed feelings is illustrated in the third stanza. "This love dance, a kind of blood rite between father and son, shows suppressed terror combined with awe-inspired dependency" (Balakian 62).
The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” written by Theodore Roethke, the speaker, is reflecting on a childhood memory that he and his father shared. This poem has two different interpretations and theories of the relationship between the speaker and his father. Some people, such as myself, view it as a loving relationship between father and son. Others view it as riddled with undertones hinting at an abusive relationship between father and son. There are instances in the poem that contribute to both of the theorized meanings of the poem.
The author uses negative connotations such as “battered...knuckle”, “palm caked hard by dirt”, and “ear scraped” to illustrate his interpretation of the situation now as an adult. Roethke uses negative connotations to show that as a child he thought of this as “romping”;but, now as an adult he thinks of it differently. The author’s use of diction gives to sides to the interpretation of the poem; that’s why this poem is considered one of his best. Overall, diction helped tie up this poem by allowing the reader to have a connection with the
For example, the word “beat” in the line “You beat time on my head” allows the reader to interpret the line in two different ways; the reader can see it as the father beating the son on the head, or the father helping the son keep time to the dance. His choice of words can make the reader imagine two different situations that are taking place. Moreover, the lines “at every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle,” can make the reader assume that the father is hitting his son with his belt when he makes a mistake. On the contrary, the reader can imagine the son bumping into the belt of the father when he misses a step because of his height. Roethke’s use of diction allows the lines throughout the poem to have two different interpretations. Ultimately, he allows the reader to have their own view of the poem when his purpose was to retell a fond memory he shared with his
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, syntax, and diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Roethke writes “My Papa’s Waltz” to illustrate a childhood memory of nostalgia of his father. On one hand, some readers argue that the poem is about a physically abusive childhood memory and although it can be, it is clear that the poem is intended to illustrate a fond memory of a playful yet rough “waltz.” Roethke’s diction in the poem and the connotation of the words used additionally support the interpretation of a positive relationship between father and son. The poem was written by the author to reminisce about
When it comes to families, people tend to think about parents who are responsible with their children. That a family environment should be safe, fun for the child, and surrounded by loving and affectionate relatives. The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke writes about a young child's life when the father comes home from work to the time the child is being sent to bed. When you are done reading this poem you think that child is being abused and not enjoying the time of their life but when you re-read the poem there's more to it then child being battered up. You start to see this connection between the father and the child when the child is being sent to bed.