My Papa's Waltz Diction

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 illustrate a childhood memory of nostalgia of his father. On one hand, some readers argue that the poem is about a physically abusive childhood memory and although it can be, it is clear that the poem is intended to illustrate a fond memory of a playful yet rough “waltz.” Roethke’s diction in the poem and the connotation of the words used additionally support the interpretation of a positive relationship between father and son. The poem was written by the author to reminisce about

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 this case, “romped” denotes that they have a playful, loving relationship. The “mother’s countenance” was caused from their messing around that disturbed the peace of her kitchen, but she remained watching them silently to capture the memory of these playful times. Lines ten and twelve help the readers visualize the “papa” and “small boy” by using imagery and sensory language. “[The hand that held my wrist] Was battered on one knuckle” indicates that the father’s hand was damaged. Some readers infer that this is so because the father is abusive, but in reality the readers should know that Roethke’s father was a greenhouse worker which would lead them to conclude that his knuckle was “battered” because of his job. Line twelve, “my right ear scraped a buckle”, illustrates that at the missed steps of the father, the boy’s ear would scrape a buckle because he was so small that his ear would only be at the height of another’s waist. This memory is fond because it leads readers to imagine a small child standing on the toes of their father, dancing around, and having a good time full of laughter and