In 1908, the year this poem was written, child abuse was recognized internationally and the “Children Act of 1908” was put in place to attempt to minimize the occurrences. The narrator, a young boy in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke uses harsh and intense wording that describes the daily rituals of abuse within the household from the father that he characterizes as a dance. A large counter argument against this poem says that the narrator is speaking out of admiration rather than fear; that the narrator and his drunken father are merrily playing around by dancing together around their house. In the first stanza, the poem states “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a young boy dizzy”(Roethke line 1/2). Which clearly states …show more content…
The narrator stated that “Every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle.”(Roethke line 11 / 12) that could have been referring to a memory of his father beating him with the back end of a belt but missing his target, the boy, because of how intoxicated he was. His father 's hands are “battered on one knuckle” (Roethke line 10) , perhaps from getting into a fight before coming home from a bar or maybe he scraped it in the process of beating his …show more content…
The word ‘beat’ in itself carries the underlying tone of abuse and violence that goes beyond the typical meaning of keeping time to the dance. Looking into the line itself, this could mean that the boy had been suffering from this abuse for some time. The abuse made the days seem to stretch, and a day could feel like a week, and a week a month. The next line, “With a palm caked hard by dirt” (Roethke line 14) could have indicated that his father was a manual field worker, a job with long hours and little pay that could easily lead to things like frustration and depression which could be easily diverted to a scapegoat, in this case his son, with a bit of impaired judgement that is brought along with alchohol. Perhaps in his mind, his son was guilty of costing him money, living as a dependent in need of food and clothing. The father then “waltzed me off to bed/ still clinging to your shirt.”(Roethke line 15 / 16). Meaning that after the beating, the narrator followed the father and went to bed without any complaints; still dreaming of the days when his father was still kind and sober, ‘clinging’ onto the hope that they one day will
At a young age the narrator thrives off the excitement of wrestling with his father, not only from the thrill of competition but pride for having such a strong father figure. “This ritual of father-son competition in fact had started early in my life” (Kennedy 139). The author develops the narrator at a young age, showing his naivety and excitement in little things such as wrestling. Although the narrator would lose at arm wrestling he would: “…only giggle, happy to have such a strong father” (Kennedy 139). The narrator did not put much thought into wrestling with his father, he only saw it as bonding time. Since the narrator is still young, he accepts that this is the only level from which he would connect with his father, slowly though, his feelings begin to change. As the narrator beings to grow older he wouldn’t “…giggle anymore, at least not around my father” (Kennedy 139). The same activity that the narrator found enjoyment in was getting dull. He was expecting more from his father. The narrator and his father had reached a point in their relationship where the narrator was beginning to surpass his father. “Now my father is
The first poem, "My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke (Page 18) presents a clear picture of the young man's father, from line one. "Whiskey" on the father's breath is one of many clues in appearance that mold a rough image of this uneducated, blue-collar worker, possibly a European immigrant, as indicated by the "Waltz" in the title (Line 1). These traits are not necessarily related. They merely exist at once in the father's character. Additional signs of roughness are his hand, "battered on one knuckle"(11), and "a palm caked hard by dirt"(14). This is a man who has probably known only grueling labor. His few escapes likely consist of a drink or two when he gets home from a tough day and maybe something good on the radio. This idea of the father as an unrefined oaf is further reinforced by his actions. His missed steps injure the child's ear, while the father and son's "romping" causes the pans to slide "from the kitchen shelf"(6). As he "beat[s] time"(13) on the child's head we see very clearly that he is quite brutish and careless with the child, and oblivious to his environment. All these factors make the boy's mother very uncomfortable. We can see the disapproval in her countenance, which "could not unfrown itself"(8). She is obviously upset but, strangely, does nothing to interfere with the horseplay that grieves her. This suggests that the waltz is enjoyable for not only one, but both parties. One might wonder why it is that the boy so delights in these moments. This is obviously a crude, boorish man. He probably doesn't flush. He may even smell bad. Are these reasons to love one's father less? Certainly not in the eyes of a small boy. This young man's father may not be the most sensitive or perceptive man around, but he still seems to be a hero in the eyes of his son. Finally, the son recalls these words: "Then you waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt"(16). After reading this poem, it is clear just how unconditional a child's love is.
The poem "My Papa's Waltz" uses imagery by especially appealing to the sense of touch. The sense of touch also helps the reader to better understand the abusive father theme. The third stanza concentrates on the actual act of abuse. The author, Roethke, describes the battle wounds on the father and son that are inflicted by the father. The father's hand "was battered on one knuckle" from hitting his son with a belt (10). This is apparent because the son's "right ear scraped...
"My Papa 's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke 's, is a poem about a boy who expresses his affection for his father, but at the same time expresses a sense of danger that comes from the father. The poem appears to be a snapshot in time from a child’s memory. The uplifting experience is created through the father and son’s waltz while the father’s uncontrollable movements juxtaposes the menace of the drunken father.
The song "Dear Mama" and the poem "Mother to Son" are great form of literature. That describe the relationship between a mother and a son. The two pieces of literature have some similarities and differences.
He is unable to see him in a negative light, and doesn’t want to be separated from him. “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt,/ Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt (13-16). In accordance with the narrative of this poem, “You beat time on my head” does not suggest that the father is purposefully abusive of the boy. It suggest a scenario where a drunk man waltzing would be very loose and would sometimes hit the child unknowingly. The line, “With a palm caked hard by dirt” also does much to throw the meaning of the poem off. It is assumed that his father’s hands are dirty in some relation to his alcoholism, but in reality his hands are dirty because his father often worked in a greenhouse as a farmer. This leads to the last two lines of the poem where the boys feelings about the father come full circle. When the waltz is finished, and despite the aggressive nature of the dance, the boy in the poem does not want to stop and go to bed. He remains clinging to his shirt, as well as clinging to this memory of their dance together. Perhaps these were the moments where he felt closer to his father than ever before? This poem, unlike Plath’s, does not seem to be an angry letter in hopes of coping, it is more of a reminiscent memory. It is also worth noting that in the title of this poem, Roethke uses the word, “Papa” instead of father. Not
Childhood experiences seem to be the ones that are recollected most vividly throughout a person's life. Almost everyone can remember some aspect of his or her childhood experiences, pleasant and unpleasant alike. Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz" suggests even further that this concept could be true. The dance described in this poem illustrates an interaction between father and child that contains more than the expected joyous, loving attitude between the two characters. Roethke's tone in this work exhibits the blended, yet powerful emotions that he, as a grown man, feels when looking back on this childhood experience. The author somewhat implicates feelings of resentment fused with a loving reliance with his father.
...perpetrated on the small child (13). Tapped or stroked may have been a more tactile image designated in the place of the word “beat” if this was truly a frolicking moment between a father and son. The next line, “With a palm caked hard by dirt,” the speaker uses this syntax to sympathize with the father and excusing his actions based his working class upbringing (14). The last two lines of the poem, “Then waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt,” as the action diminishes, the child is clearly grasping in terror, afraid to let go of his father for fear of reprisal (15, 16). The word “clinging” is a denotation of the speaker adhering to a memory of his past.
It's not clear whether the use of the word "beat" refers to the musical beat in the waltz or the act of the father punishing his child using his belt. However, the fact the beatings were so hard that the "pans slid from the kitchen shelf" symbolizes that the father might have been very brutal on the poet. The poet says that "Such waltzing was not easy," and his father "beat time on his head," meaning he was used to the beatings most of his childhood and his transition from childhood to adulthood happened so fast than others (Napierkowski and Ruby, 1998). Nonetheless, he doesn't directly accuse his father, rather he points an accusing finger at his mother since her "Countenance could not unfrown itself." Therefore, the poet suggests that his mother doesn't react in a way that will help in stopping the father from beating
From time to time Roethke uses metaphors in his poem “My Papa's Waltz” like “Such waltzing was not easy” and “You beat time on my head.” At first glance the reader will only see the surface meaning but further analyzation you can infer that the speaker was talking about the constant abuse he experienced as a child. Roethke was not “Waltzing” with his father, he was fighting him which is why his wordplay has more than one meaning. He also recalls having time beat on his head, although he was getting time beaten on him he was also being beat. Referring to how time goes by when you're busy. These metaphors help build his father's character, showing how he wanted ultimate
Theodore Roethke is a very talented poet and used juxtaposition through the whole piece to show the child's unsure opinion of his father figure, and if it is abusive or a loving relationship. To convey this uneasy feeling in the piece Roethke says, ¨At every step you missed, my right ear scraped a buckle,¨ The narrator allows the audience to form opinions on how the two opposing fragments in the excerpt. That quote could imply a positive tone, knowing that the narrator is a small child and may be the height of the man's waist, where a belt buckle would be placed, or a negative tone by explaining that he may be hit physically. Through the story, juxtaposition is used again when Theodore Roethke writes, ¨ You beat time on my head with a palm.¨ When waltzing, time is measured in beats, which implies that the narrator and man are waltzing just as the title claims. Using
Waltzing is graceful and elegant dance that one finds joy in. In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” the reader will find an unpleasant experience of a father being abusive towards his son, which is told in a way of a beautiful and romantic dance called the waltz. In retrospect the poem is a possible childhood experience of the narrator (who is the small boy) involving his father. The small boy struggles with a conflict of confusion whether to love or fear his Papa. The theme is the attempt to understand his relationship with his father and the use of the dance as a metaphor for life itself or for an abusive tone. The tone is light but has darker undertones in each line. The poem tells how much the small boy loves his Papa but is also fearful of him because of his father clumpy, abusive character, and the tension between the two which is symbolically the waltz.
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 reflect on a fond playful memorie between his father and younger self “waltzing.” The poem was published in 1942, a few years after his father had passed away. Many of his poem were about memories he had had with his father in his uncle's greenhouse. Roethke had received the news that he had a mental illness. He used his illness to as a way of exploring different ways to write and having a different perspective of things. In discussions of “My Papa’s Waltz,” one controversial issue
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.
The speaker of “My Papa’s Waltz” creates a vivid example of the fun we can have with our parents when he describes the waltz that the father and son are dancing by saying, “We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf” (lines 5-6). I love the playful language that Roethke uses to describe this scene and Roethke’s words paint a clear and happy picture in my head of a father gallantly dancing with his son. This picture makes me think of all the joyful experiences that I have had with my own father and how much I appreciate those moments. My favorite lines in this poem, the last two, demonstrate the unconditional love that exists between the father and son in this poem. Throughout the entire poem, the narrator hints that the son has an underlying fear of his father, but in the last two lines of “My Papa’s Waltz” the narrator destroys any doubt that the son is afraid of his father by saying, “[You] waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt” (15-16). The fact that the boy is still clinging to his father in this line helps me draw the conclusion that the little boy loves his father and enjoys spending time with him, just as I love spending time with my