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.
Reading the poem over once, one can pick out a line, or even certain words in each stanza that indicate a new meaning. In line 3: “like death” indicates desperation and fear. In line line 7: “mother’s countenance” is a mature phrase, it's not language one would use to describe a mother’s playful disapproval of before-bedtime excitement. In the third stanza “battered” and “scraped” suggest violence and pain. In addition, they are both words with sharp and blunt sounds, phonetically placing a feeling of harshness within the text. Similarly, in the fourth stanza, “beat time on my head” and “still clinging to your shirt” creates the image and feeling of abuse, as if a father literally “beats,” but to avoid falling to the ground he must cling to his abuser.
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To further the possibility of violence, Roethke writes in the first two lines “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy,” meaning the amount of alcohol consumed would have to have been enough for the smell to stagger a child.
Presumably, his father is an alcoholic, and that compels him to abuse his son, as intoxication commonly results in anger or violence. Moreover, in line 14 “A palm caked hard by dirt” creates the idea that the father works hard, perhaps the family endures financial hardship. The stress of being the sole provider may weigh on him heavily, and in pair with the alcohol, this causes him to take his grievances out on his
son. Finally, one may wonder why, if the poem recalls something so atrocious, is it written so indirectly. Instead of describing how his father hurt him he puts everything in terms as if it were an actual dance they were doing: “At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle,” “You beat time on my head,” or “Such waltzing was not easy.” By doing this, one can express something unbearably painful without becoming overwhelmed. In this poem, the man laments the loss of his childhood to brutality.
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.
He states, “The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle; at every step you missed my right ear scraped a buckle” (Roethke line 9-12). This could be could be taken as a symbolism for an abusive father. The hand that was battered on one knuckle could be seen as a hand that has been in a fight. The statement of missing a step and scrapping my ear on a buckle could be seen as imagery of abuse or being lifted up and the child not being able to control his steps and being drug along in a fearful manner.
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.
When the poem is read aloud, the explicit rhyme and rhythm of the lines becomes extremely obvious. In fact, the bouncy rhythm is so uplifting, it occasionally makes the audiences feel like it is too predictable and straight-forward. An example would be “bright with chrysolite”, the word “chrysolite” feels like it is forcefully implemented for the sake of the rhyme. This is somewhat similar to a children’s tale. Most children’s tale as we know it, conveys messages straightforwardly and are easily understood by children, it also has an amiable tone and a merry mood that engages the children 's attention. Similarly, the rhyme and rhythm of this poem is very obvious and explicit, creating a delightful, casual mood that appeals to a young audience. Even though the legend dealt with deep insights about parenting that are intricate and puzzling, the father delivered it in such a gratifying, simple manner that made even the most dark and dreadful matters: like the description of precarious beasts and vicious monsters to sound like a blissful adventure of friendly animals. The sole purpose of this contradiction between the tone and message is to make this seemingly strong and serious topic more tolerable and captivating to the son of the father. Unsensible, impulsive youth is very similar to restless children, a long insipid lecture about deep insights is very difficult for them to buy into. In the same time, a harsh, threatening warning will only make them obey unwillingly, and creating a doubtful relationship will make them uncomfortable to communicate or appeal to their parents. Clearly, the percipient father recognized the ineffectiveness of these unsuitable parenting methods. Instead, he conveyed the message in a uncomplicated, friendly way that made his son to accept his teachings more comfortably. A
While reading the poem the reader can imply that the father provides for his wife and son, but deals with the stress of having to work hard in a bad way. He may do what it takes to make sure his family is stable, but while doing so he is getting drunk and beating his son. For example, in lines 1 and 2, “The whisky on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy” symbolizes how much the father was drinking. He was drinking so much, the scent was too much to take. Lines 7 and 8, “My mother’s countenance, Could not unfrown itself.” This helps the reader understand the mother’s perspective on things. She is unhappy seeing what is going on which is why she is frowning. Although she never says anything it can be implied that because of the fact that the mother never speaks up just shows how scared she could be of her drunk husband. Lines 9 and 10, “The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle”, with this line the reader is able to see using imagery that the father is a hard worker because as said above his knuckle was battered. The reader can also take this in a different direction by saying that his hand was battered from beating his child as well. Lastly, lines 13 and 14, “You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt” As well as the quote above this quote shows that the father was beating his child with his dirty hand from all the work the father has
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 hand that held my wrist/was battered on one knuckle;/ At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle"(Roethke 668). The speaker's father's hand being "battered on one knuckle" is indicative of a man who...
As mentioned, the parents’ pains, negative emotions and hatred are presented in the first part. Even from the first few lines from the poem: “Ulcerated tooth keeps me...
The speakers father was not much involved in the speakers life. In fact he was always outsized in the speakers life bank account. The speakers father might be a huge disappointment to the speaker as a father. This might might be for several reasons. May be the father was abusive to his daughter as well as her mother, maybe he was a person who drink, or maybe her father is a gambler and that result his family to not have food to eat. This caused the speaker pain that she can’t forgive describing him as “debt” a debt that can never be paid of. Lastly the speaker at the end the speaker pointed out one last piece of financial metaphor. She stated that “what am i doing he collecting? You lie side by side in debtor’s boxes and no accounting will open them up” this particular line is significant money metaphor in the poem. In line 3 and 4 the speaker says “ all week you have….. Asking for more time” the speaker emphasizes “like a ghost” specifying the death of her father. She also indicated down in the second stanza her father's death stating that the time has passed to forgive her father. It is significant because it is where the speaker realized it is late to be angry at her father and those debts cannot be collected as her father
The first reader’s response of Theodore Roethke poem, My Papa’s Waltz, is pleasant and memorable in manner. The reader, a knowledgeable literature teacher, explained that as she read the poem she began visualizing the little boy recalling fond memories of his father lightheartedly and pure in nature caring for him as a child. Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”: A Reader’s Response states, “For me the poem’s tone was one of fond recollection: that the adult speaker still remembers small details of this waltzing suggested to me that the child thoroughly enjoyed this dance” (1). The first reader foresaw no interpretation of remorse or malice in My Papa's Waltz. She was prepared to discuss her interpretation with her students and was abruptly surprised by the difference in opinion. Theodore Roethke’s
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.
In Hayden’s poem “The Whippings,” the readers are given a more direct vision of what Hayden experienced at the hand of his foster mother. Hayden writes the poem in third person as he reminisces about how his mother “strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks,” and how “his tears are rainy weather to wound like memories” (The Whipping 1). He then ends the poem with by saying “… and the woman leans muttering against a tree, exhausted, purged—avenged in part for life long hidings she has to bear” (The Whipping 1). We see through the eyes of Hayden himself, that his foster mother would go far beyond a simple disciplinary punishment. Instead, she beat him in order to release her own frustrations for the demons in her life. Her actions filled Hayden’s childhood memories with pain and sorrow, and we see that through his own recollections in “The Whippings,” and “Those Winter Sundays” alike. In the poem “Those Winter Sundays,” Hayden’s choices in diction like the words “cracked,” and “ached” initiate the gloomy tone of the poem, and reflect the pain that derived from his relationship with his foster mother, which also could be a reason for the purposeful absence of Hayden’s foster mother in the poem (Howells 288-289). The reader also interprets that Hayden’s painful memories of being beaten and tormented as part of the unspecified “chronic angers” that haunt
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
It goes from admiring the father in the photo, to being hurt by her mother’s emotions in the family. In the beginning, it quotes, “He looks like Errol Flynn” (Stanza 1), which was a very famous man at that time. A lot of men wanted to be him and women wanting to be with him. Therefore, he was a player. This shows that she thought very highly of her father. Also foreshadowing, he is a player like Errol Flynn. But as the poem goes on, it starts to shift to talking about her mother. The first thing she said about her mother is that “She is not crying,” (Stanza 2), which shows that she significantly remembers her mother crying in her childhood, but has to explain that she is not at this moment. Since normally, people remember the good times when looking at an old photo, she remembered her mother was hurt, shows she is also hurting. It is not easy seeing mothers cry, therefore, it must have pained her knowing her mother always cries knowing her father is out cheating, then confronting him, but end up only forgetting about it and has to live with all that pain for the child. As the shift as the poem went from admiring to hurt, it leads up to the
The diction choice within the poem immediately gives off a negative tone about the poem. Initially the poem appears that it would be a rather nice and peaceful poem because of the title “My Papa’s Waltz” however the poem shifts to a negative tone immediately in the first stanza. The first stanza immediately has the narrator direct his words to a drunken father who is rather rowdy. Following this immediate negative tone comes the diction choice of the words “death”, “romped”, “unfrown”, “battered”, “scraped”, and “beat”. All of these word choices capture an essence of negativity and violence. Due to these words flowing through the poem the idea of violence is placed into the readers mind because of the darkness of the words. The diction then supports the imagery Roethke creates about