Poetic Devices In 'My Papa's Waltz'

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Recommended: Poetic devices and figurative language

Part #1--What is the theme of the poem? I picked the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” for my discussion. I feel the theme of this poem is implying there is a waltz going on between a father and son before bedtime. Thus, taking place after the father has had a hard day of work and some drinking; and he was spending quality time with his family. What poetic devices (e.g., rhythm, figurative language, etc.) are used in the poem? Offer at least two examples. Novelist Roethke uses imagery and atmosphere as poetic devices in his poem from our textbook “My Papa’s Waltz” Clugston (2014). In which you can visualize how the father comes home a little inebriated with whiskey on his breath, enough to make someone light headed. The poem reads, as the atmosphere …show more content…

Even though mom likes organization, she does not say anything so that they can enjoy their time together as a family before the little retires for the night. Dad is also presenting to us after a hard day of work, a display of his hands having his palm caked with that of hard dirt. The atmosphere goes on to present us how they danced in the kitchen to where the mom was getting upset because her pans were falling off the shelves but did not want to change the mood in which all were having fun. How do these poetic devices contribute to the development of the poem’s message? I believe the poetic devices help to make the poem come to life more. To hook you into the poem, bring you into the kitchen with the family, and enjoy the fun they were having, to maintain a family bonding. It shows you that family is always first and tight no matter what time of day, no matter what the situation entails. The dance is the center of the family bond, which is the …show more content…

For me hearing the poem showed me more detailed, improved understanding and led me to see the meter and rhyme in the dance more. It gave me clarity and I understood the mother’s position more of not wanting to disrupt the fun atmosphere. Did the performance highlight certain words or phrases that were not as apparent in a silent reading? If you read it, you cannot notice the iambic trimester in the father’s missteps in his dancing but when someone reads it to you and carefully listen, you can hear in what line he missteps due to his drinking. I like to read a long with listening, that it puts the story in another perspective for me. Did the pace change and, if so, how did it change your understanding of the poem? I am not sure if the pace changed other than someone reading it to me. When I read it, alone I was slower, but when the person read it, I totally understood it much clarity. Did words have different connotations and, if so, what kind (s) of connotation did you associate with the poem? I saw that the mother could not frown when they were knocking off her pans from the shelf because she knew he was drinking, although, the reason for silence was she liked organization, and did not want to ruin the fun. I also, saw when the father had tapped beat of the music on the head of the son as they danced with his dirty hands. Do you think reading poetry aloud is a worthwhile endeavor

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