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Literary analysis of poetry
Literary analysis of poetry
Literary analysis of poetry
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My Papa’s Waltz
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
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The dishes have been cleared and placed on the counter or in the sink. The family is seated around the table. The father having a glass of whiskey to relax after a very hard day working in the family owned twenty-five-acre greenhouse complex. He is asked to take his small son to bed. The poem begins, “The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke line 1) enlists the imagery of what the young boy was smelling as he most likely climbed aboard his fathers’ large work boots for the evening waltz to bed. 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 …show more content…
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. However, this is not what Theodore is trying to convey. His father was a very hard working man, who worked in a greenhouse with his hands. When he came home from work his hands were dirty and battered by using them as tools planting and plowing. He is using symbolism to bring the reader closer to his father and get to know him as he did. When he speaks of his ear scrapping the buckle his is simple using imagery to help the reader understand how his father was dressed. Giving a loving portrayal of what a strong stature of a man he was. His strong hand which held his wrist and did not let go is a symbol of how Theodore is longing to be held once again by his father and directed in the waltz of
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...
My Papa’s Waltz, by Theodore Roethke, is a poem that has been interpreted in two very different ways. The first interpretation is that the poem is a child’s loving memory of his father who had too much to drink and the second interpretation is a child’s memory of his abusive father. After I read the poem, instead of looking at the two interpretations as completely unalike, I came to believe that both of the interpretations co-existed with each other and were valid. In order to understand why I believed so, it is important to break the poem apart and analyze the speaker, style, tone, and theme of the poem. The speaker of the poem seems to be a son recollecting his memories as a child and the relationship he had with his father. The memory is
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
The two central themes of the poem are the importance of love within family, and the atrocities of child abuse. Roethke uses imagery, diction, and easy flowing structure to help develop the varying themes. The “My Papa’s Waltz” contains imagery that can be interpreted in several ways. When the boy sees his father’s hand that “was battered on one knuckle” (10), one assumes his battered knuckles are because of hard work or inflicting abuse on his child. The line “With a palm caked hard by dirt” (14) depicts the father as a hard-working laborer.
"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.
...nderstanding. I know when I first read the poem I thought that the poem was negative and about a father beating a boy, but once I read it again I got a fuller understanding of what it meant. The author wants the readers to pounder whether or not the poem is negative or positive. However, I get the sense of a positive poem through the author’s use of imagery, word choice, and meter. The author puts the image of a boy and his father dancing around like the waltz. Roethke chose his words very well when he was writing this poem. McKenna said that he changed the words in his poem several times, especially the title (34). Then, the author uses the poem through meter as a sense of the dance through unstressed and stressed syllables. From the evidence, I strongly believe that “My Papa’s Waltz” is about a young boy looking for affection from his father, even if he is drunk.
The poem being separated into two indicates change of direction. In the sestet, there is a sudden change in emotion. The first line, ‘the final hour’, immediately shows this. The father is now dying. Weak. ‘Your hands between the sheets’ indicates that the father is in a bed, suggesting restricted physical movement, unlike before. There is then a role reversal, as the son is lifting the fat...
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
Indeed, the satirical tone of this poem suggests that the speaker is somewhat critical of his father. The whiskey smell, the roughness, the inconsiderate and reckless actions are under scrutiny. The mother's frowning countenance suggests she too is rather unhappy with the scene. However, the winning tone of the poem is the light and comical one.
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 express a fond memory between him and his father dancing when he was young. Roethke had a loving relationship with his father even if he was constantly working in a greenhouse. “My Papa’s Waltz” was first published in his book The Lost Son and Other Poems. This shows that he still deeply thinks about his father passing away and has not fully recovered. Professors, scholars, and students have debated whether the subject of the poem is an abusive night with his drunken father late at night, or a memorable night with his father dancing throughout the house. One might argue that the connotation of words such as “beat,” “whiskey,” and “romped” can connotate to the reader assuming abusive actions are involved throughout the
He comes home from a day of work to a have a drink of whiskey, which was not uncommon at the time of Roethke’s childhood for a man to do. The smell of whiskey on the father’s breath made the “small boy dizzy” but even possibly made the “waltzing” more enjoyable for the both of them. The third line, “but I hung on like death,” suggests that the boy, Roethke, hung on even tighter to his father’s shirt because he does not want to stop dancing and playing. “Such waltzing was not easy” for the small boy, but he continued to play along to experience the energetic and fun dance with his father. Consequently, the positive connotations of the words in this stanza support the interpretation of a playful and fond
In the first half of the poem, the speaker reminds readers of childhood. She presents the readers with imagery, a form of descriptive language, by illustrating the colorful overshoes lined up against the wall of the kindergarten, “black, red, brown, all/ with those brass buckles” (lines 1-5). This part of the poem helps the reader settle into the setting and mindset of the speaker. She repeats “remember... remember,” inviting the readers to recall their childhood, how everything looked then, and how different aspects of life mattered (5, 15). “You couldn't/ buckle your own/ overshoe,” the speaker states as she continues to list the difficulties, failures, and impossibilities of life as a child (5-9). As children, people are completely dependent on others to do things for them and correct the world around them. It is frustrating for children to not be able to accomplish even simple, self-help tasks.
“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
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.
True love in a family is the kind that can never be replaced. The kind of love that makes a father and daughter bond so strong is also the kind of love that puts a smile on a child’s face after coming home from a long day of work. The one that keeps a family floating through anything. True love becomes evident when reading the poem My Papa’s Waltz which describes a father coming home from work and see’s his wife and child. Taking place right after dinner the father immediately begins making lots of noise knocking pans around dancing in the kitchen. As the father realizes the boy’s excitement he grabs him to join in on the dance and the two begin to wrestle around in the kitchen making a mess. The mother is not the happiest because the two “romped until the pans slid from the shelf,”(Roethke lines 5-6) but she enjoys seeing the two have so much fun. In the poem, the boy describes every aspect of his father while the two play around. Although the mom in this story is upset she will have to clean, it is apparent the son and father are having a blast. This story ends when the dad “then waltzed me off to bed, still clinging to your shirt.”(lines 15-16) The son has his night ended with his dad dancing him to his bed. A true love could be no more evident than this in a family. Many people can think of memories of parents doing complete acts of love like this just to make a child