Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary analysis of poetry
Literary analysis of poetry
Literary analysis of poetry
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Literary analysis of poetry
In “My papa’s Waltz” , the write uses a confused tone, dramatic irony and personification to
suggest that the little boy in the poem has a different point of view from the readers. For my
theme I choose The happy family can be a myth to many. Being vulnerable was what the boy
is talking about, his dad abusing him but he couldn’t defend himself or do anything about it.
Theodore Roethke uses a confused tone to support how the little boy confuses his father’s
actions as a Waltz. For example when somebody says “ Then Waltzed me off bed still clinging
to your shirt” stanza 15&10. The happy family can be a myth to many, this quote supports the
theme because this little boy wants to see the terrible actions his dad does or has done using
…show more content…
Again his dad had drunk a lot and wasn’t
himself, he got aggressive and took the little boy and threw him to his bed, these actions make
the boy wonder why his dad is acting this way.
Theodore Reethke uses a dramatic irony to show us that we know what’s actually happening
but the little kids doesn’t because of his innocence, for example when somebody says “We
romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” stanzas 5&6 . This quote supports the theme
because he seeks it as the father and him are playing and bumping into everything until the
pan fall. But that is not the truth, the truth has a darker turn, what is actually happening is that
the dad is drunk and hitting the kid but he can’t see that because he is too young.
Theodore Roethke uses personification to show from the boy’s point of view how his mother
watching looked so broken, he didn’t understand why what wrong with his mom and why she
was so frustrated about his dad. When somebody says “ My mother’s countenance could not
unfrown itself “ stanza 7&8. This quote supports the theme because it includes the mother
watch the dark sense happening but she looks so broken as she gone through the same. I
The poem imaginatively re-creates a childhood encounter with his father. It may be read as an uplifting memory of a happy day, however when one engages further into investigating Roethke’s work, a darker perspective of the event emerges (Bachelorandmaster, 2015). Although we cannot identify that this poem is explicitly about his father from just simply reading it, when deeply exploring Roethke’s relationship with his father further, it can be identified that both the poem and relationship are connected in this way. The story conveys both the fathers love for the son and the son’s fear of this overpowering event, a combination which explains why the poem haunted so many of it’s readers (Shmoop,
However, neither the setting of the poem nor its events can be linked to the ballrooms where people dance waltz. The opening lines of the poem portray the narrator’s father as a drunken person “The whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy”. The dancer is anything but elegant, he doesn’t waltz gracefully but romps “until the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf”. The poem is set in a family home, most likely in the kitchen. Thus, the narrator is trying to downplay the social connotati...
Stanza six shows how toys and presents mark the child’s life rather than love and affection.
The poem begins by establishing that the speakers’ father has had more than enough to drink. “The whiskey on his breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy.” These lines (1, and 2) help in the development of the poem because they set ...
In comparing and contrasting the poems, "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke and "Piano" by D. H. Lawrence, the reader could also compare and contrast the childhood lives of the poets themselves. Roethke's father, Otto Roethke, was a drunk and a figure of terror to his son (Seager 26). His mother was an angry woman and Theodore was a desperate child consistently in the middle of his parent's opposition (Seager 28). D.H. Lawrence's father was a drunk, almost illiterate miner (Squires and Talbot 34). His mother; however, was educated, refined, and pious, ruling the lives of her sons (Squires and Talbot 42). Reviewing the form, tone, and imagery of both poems, the attitude of the boy towards his father in Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" allows the reader to observe the poet's ironic tone contrasting with the attitude of the boy towards his childhood in Lawrence's "Piano", allowing us to sense a more melancholy tone.
Roethke uses imagery and diction that makes the reader feel different emotions. The imagery of a father with whiskey on his breath and battered knuckles paints a picture of a scruffy, rugged man. On the other hand, the diction and imagery of “waltzing” in line 4 creates a soft and sweet image of a father and child dancing. The image of “My right ear scraped a buckle / You beat
The father in “My Papa’s Waltz” is portrayed by the narrator as one who neglects his responsibilities of ensuring safety and being a positive role model. Using many examples and implying this through writing techniques, the narrator represents the father in a way other than a loving dad. Despite the use of certain words such as “papa” and “waltz,” the overall connotation represented throughout the poem seems to concentrate more heavily on the negative aspects of the narrator’s memories. For these reasons, one can conclude that the poem aims to illuminate the immaturity and irresponsibility of the
My Papa’s Waltz presents a child’s telling of the waltz taking place between him and his father. As a verb, a waltz is “to move or walk in a lively and confident manner” (“Waltz”). The waltz described throughout the poem is quick and lively as the boy “hung on like death” (Roethke)
The tone of a poem can only by recognized when reading carefully and paying close attention to the words and what they might suggest. The rhyme scheme of My Papa’s Waltz is extremely relevant to the poem. For example, in the first stanza dizzy and easy create the rollicking rhythm, as does the following stanza’s with the same pattern. The structure of words create an almost "waltz" like melody. The phrase " we romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf" and " waltzed me off to bed" (Roethke 5-6, 15), convey a pleasant atmosphere to the reader. The title itself creates an affectionate attitude with the connection of Papa and waltz. The choice of words and details are used systematically to produce thoughts to the reader of happiness and affection, thus, establishing the tone of this poem.
“Theodore Roethke.” Concise Dictionary of American Literary Biography. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Biography in Context. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
It is obvious this is an evening ritual, one that is cherished. The boy is aware of his fathers’ waltzing abilities and he concedes that he is up for the challenge. The irony of the statement, “I hung on like death” (Roethke line 3) is a private one, yet deeply describes his yearning for one more waltz with his father who passed away when Theodore was only fifteen years
In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, connotative language is used to convey the poet’s attitude toward the “Waltz”. The emotions and associations attached to a word provide it with a connotative meaning; rather than the literal meaning, which is the denotation of a word. The waltz is known to be a graceful dance; but, the diction the poet uses to describe this event shows otherwise. First, the poet says how he “hung on” to his father; suggesting that he was fighting to continue their dance, rather than being able to do so effortlessly. In addition, it is also said that they “romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf”. The connotation behind the word romp implies a noisy and boisterous ruckus; the opposite of what
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
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.
McClatchy, J.D. "Theodore Roethke." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry Second Edition. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage, 2003. 345-349. Print.