Desperate Love in My Papa’s Waltz

727 Words2 Pages

Desperate Love in My Papa’s Waltz

Angry words, punches, and belt buckles each may be thrown when a drunken parent becomes frustrated with his or her child. On the other hand, alcohol can also cause people to exuberantly sing or dance. In the poem "My Papa’s Waltz", Theodore Roethke describes the latter situation in a literal sense. However, a closer look at Roethke’s choice of words, the poem’s imagery, emotions, and irony reveals a painful and confusing encounter between a boy and his drunken Papa.

Roethke chooses specific words in his poem to alert the reader of the violent nature of the waltz. As the boy and his father waltz around the house, the small boy must hold "on like death" (Roethke 3). In this case, many words can describe the boy holding on tightly. Roethke uses the word "death" to emphasize the helplessness of the boy against his drunken father, just as we are helpless against the force of death (3). As they dance, Papa’s hand holds the boy’s wrist and one of Papa’s knuckles is "battered", a word which often describes abusive situations (10). Furthermore, Papa...

Show More
Related

  • Analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh by F. Lorey through a Creationists Viewpoint

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lorey, F. 1997. The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. Acts & Facts. 26 (3) Web. 4 Feb. 2014. When reading the story, someone can take many different viewpoints. In the article above, the author is analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh through a creationists view point.

    Read More

  • Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz and Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays

    1713 Words  | 4 Pages

    Roethke’s and Hayden’s poems use tone in the same way to show that both children ultimately love their fathers regardless of the abuse he commits. The young boy in My Papa’s Waltz is clearly very fond of his father even though his Papa abuses him. It is through the tone the young boy uses that Roethke shows how much he loves his father. This is first enforced when the boy says, “But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy” (Roethke, 3-4). The boy loves his father and he h...

    Read More

  • My Papa's Waltz Analysis Essay

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ultimately, the subject of “ My Papa’s Waltz” has spurred a passionate academic debate from professors, scholars, and students alike, the imagery, syntax, diction of the poem clearly support the interpretation that Theodore Roethke wrote “ My Papa’s Waltz” to illustrate on a past memory of his drunk and abusive father. The controversy of the poem itself is whether it is a good or bad memory. The use of negative imagery, syntax, and diction support this. Overall, with the explanation of the poem and the use of syntax, diction and imagery “ My Papa’s Waltz” was about Theodore Roethke’s drunk and abusive

    Read More

  • Imagery in My Papa’s Waltz

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    Donald Hall describes the use of imagery in poetry as a device that "makes us more sensitive to [literature], as if we acquired eyes that could see through things"(p 530). Imagery creates vivid details that deal with one's sense of sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste. These details can be seen in Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" because the senses of touch, sight, sound, and smell appeal to the reader in order to better explain the feelings of each character in the poem. Roethke's use of imagery creates a negative picture that is painted by the son of an abusive father.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of My Papa's Waltz

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • Comparing My Papa’s Waltz and Listening to grownups quarrel

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poems are often designed to express deep feelings and thoughts about a particular theme. In Theodore Roethke’s poem, My Papa’s Waltz, and Ruth Whitman’s poem, Listening to grownups quarreling, the theme of childhood is conveyed through their details, although we can neither see a face nor hear a voice. These poems are very much alike in their ideas of how their memories pertain to the attitudes of their childhood; however, the wording and tones of the two poems are distinct in how they present their memories. The two poems can be compared and contrasted through the author’s use of tone, imagery, and recollection of events; which illustrate each author’s memories of childhood.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of My Papa's Waltz

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Theodore Roethke's poem “My Papa's Waltz” is a unique American poem which is written in iambic trimeter. The poem captures the sometimes intense relationship between father and son. Roethke's own father, a German immigrant, died when he was still a teenager. His father was a major inspiration in his life and images from his childhood appear throughout his poetry. A biographer, Matt Forster comments that “His poems are often explorations of his own psyche, using imagery from his childhood to describe his interior life (Forster 2005).” He became one of the best known American poets by the end of his lifetime in 1963. In the famous poem “My Papa's Waltz” the author uses musicality and deep psychologically-rooted themes to create a poem that is unforgettable and alive with action. The poem is composed in iambic trimeter which parallels the 1, 2, 3 tempo of a waltz. This feature helps in creating the illusion of musicality and dancing as is suggested in the poem's title. Thematically the poem comments on the oedipal complex, the intimate relationship between father and son, loss, memory and music.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies: Human Nature

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    evil inside all of us. Another thing that ties in with this that children try to

    Read More

  • My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    My Papa’s Waltz has been compared to a generational litmus test. Depending on what generation the reader was born, could determine how the reader would interpret this poem. Each generation has its own views that have been developed in them for the language used to describe Papa in this poem. The whiskey on his breath and Papa’s hand beating on his head, both sound like a negative connotation. 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 mother.

    Read More

  • Comparing My Last Duchess And Sonnet 130

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a poem that illustrates the love and bonding between a father and child through structure, figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and diction. The poem begins with lines making it seem negative, violent, and maybe even hate. However it was really his use of figurative language to show them bonding and having fun. In the first quatrain it says the father has whiskey breath, enough to make a child dizzy, so the child hangs on like “death”, because it was hard for him to waltz. At a first glance this may seem negative because of the whiskey and the author's choice of words like death. Although it is not negative. The father may have had a whiskey breath but it doesn't state he was drunk, and him hanging on like death may sound horrific, but he has to hold on to him so he is inescapable as death because it is

    Read More

  • My Papa's Waltz

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ancient Stories Of The Flood

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    Older versions, of which only fragments survive, tell virtually the same story, though the hero is sometimes called Atrahasis, or “Superwise,'; rather than Utnapishtim. In Western Asia the legend of the flood is of Summerian origin, and is now known from the excavations at Kish and Ur to have been based upon an historical catastrophe. In the Summerian version the hero is named Ziusudra, “the long lived.

    Read More

  • Comparing the Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The flood story that is told in The Epic of Gilgamesh has the same principle as the story of Noah told in the book of Genesis in the Bible, but there are some major differences. In the epic, Utnapishtim is immortal and, although Noah was extremely old when he died, he wasn’t immortal. Utnapishtim was a human, but because he saved mankind, Enlil said, “Hitherto Utnapishtim has been a human, now Utnapishtim and his wife shall become like us gods.” (Gilgamesh 11.206-207) In the Biblical story, God told Noah that he was going to send a flood and asked him specifically to make the ark in order to save mankind. In Genesis 6:13-22, God tells Noah why he’s flooding the earth and exact instructions to build the ark. “13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.[b] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[c] high all arou...

    Read More

  • Comparing The Flood In The Epic Of Gilgamesh And Genesis

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of the simpler similarities are that the extent of the flood reaches every part of the earth, the flood is intended to destroy mankind, aside from the heros and their families, Utnapishtim and Noah are found righteous by their God or gods, and they build an ark to certain qualifications. An example of a less obvious similarity is the location of where the arks first touche land. In the general sense, they both landed on a mountain: Noah’s “ ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventh day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 75) and Utnapishtim's “boat stuck fast beside Mt. Nimush” (Gilgamesh 57). Taking this information a Step deeper reveals that Mt. Ararat and Mt. Nimush are about 300 miles apart. Both boats land in a relatively close proximity. Further proving the idea that the Sumerians and Hebrews experience the same event. Utnapishtim’s and Noah’s lives are dramatically changed by the flood. They sacrifice all that is familiar to them in order to receive the blessings of God or the gods. The heroes are both examples of a term I will call the archetypal path of blessing. Utnapishtim and Noah are both comfortable with what they have before the flood, but as Christopher Columbus States “One can never cross the ocean until one has the courage to leave the shore.” Utnapishtim and Noah give up what is ordinary to receive what is great. The blessings of both characters exceed

    Read More

  • Alan Turing

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    He usually has a professional attire with styled hair. This type of look helps the audience to believe he is a honorable and good man, who they can trust. Turing talks with confidence and expressing his emotions with every word he says. Using this design of a character makes the audience feel sympathy and compassion in times of hardship. Alan often does not understand the underlying messages humans use. For instance, John asks Alan that they are going to go get some lunch, implying an invitation for Alan to go with them. However, Alan says nothing, he has nothing to say. He heard them, but missed the invitation. At the end, Peter asks who’s hungry. Alan simply responds saying he is hungry and would like some soup. This theme is evident throughout the film, and overtime causes the viewer to feel sorry for Alan. From the beginning of the movie, Alan presented his ideas with confidence. He spoke as if he had already completed Christopher, showing Alan’s willpower. Alan’s determination is something people of today are in awe of. It is Alan’s willpower and confidence that broke Enigma and won the war. Without his determination, millions of people would be dead and entire cities would be destroyed. Alan is a man of acting logical and smart. Overtime, he has become extremely wise in dealing with worldly issues. For example, he talks of how taking away the satisfaction of violence causes the act to become hollow. He learned this from a young age and desires to break Enigma, the hardest puzzle in the world. Towards the end of the film, he fears his secret of being homosexual will cause him to be apart from Christopher. When he expresses this fear with Joan, his confidence and strength diminish. He becomes weak physically and mentally. This was the only fear he could not overcome and after a year of hormonal treatment, Alan Turing gave up his life. Turing showed the other characters and the viewers the

    Read More

More about Desperate Love in My Papa’s Waltz

Open Document