Figurative Language In My Papa's Waltz

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Recommended: Theodore Roethke's waltz analysis

Poetry is a special gift, which unfortunately is not given to all of us. Mr. Theodore Roethke (1908-1963) was an American poet with this magnificent gift. Mr. Roethke is regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential poets of his generation (Wiki). His poems present figurative language, which means that it says something, but is not actually what it means, or it can be interpreted in a totally different way. Theodore Roethke’s poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” has imaginary and mixed feelings between the speaker, which is a child, and his father. After having researched a lot more about the Poet’s life I find this poem highly eloquent and fallacious. Even though, it’s a brief poem I can say that this talks about Mr. Roethke’s childhood. This …show more content…

The speaker illustrates a peaceful and playful background. However, I strongly believe and have a feeling that this poem is totally addressed to a person, in this case, the speaker 's father with resentment and anger. The poem shows the whiskey word instead of just alcohol, highlighting the main problem. “The whiskey on your breath” (line 1) and “Could make a small boy dizzy” (line 2) makes me think what child can recognize the smell of whiskey with the different kinds of alcohol that there’s out there. Therefore, I truly believe the whiskey is common in this child’s life. On the other hand, there is also “But I hung on like death” (Line 3), this phrase is too strong and tough to say for just a child who is barely leaving, when death means darkness, sadness, and pain. Honestly, I don’t hear a child telling this poem, I can view an older person, but with the gentleness of a child’s …show more content…

The father moves from side to side like waltzing, but in reality, I believe this is for his drunken condition. The child and the mother are dealing with his father’s alcoholism, which looks that the mother doesn’t care anymore about her family. I can easily perceive the child’s and the mother’s feelings and their unhappiness if instead of spending a great time with him, they are experiencing somehow abandon of the persons who supposed to be the strongest in their family and giving the best sample to them. “Then Waltzed me off to bed” (line 15) and “Still clinging to your shirt” (line 16) these two phrases are highly critical view of the fact that the child still sticks to his father no matter how dangerous his father is the child loves his “papa”. In addition, at the end the child’s hope is that his father changes one day and be with them as a real father unknowing that this is a perpetuated situation and transcending anger for

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