My Papa's Waltz Tone

Words: 285
Pages: 2
Open Document
In “My Papa’s Waltz,” by Theodore Roethke, the author recalls a dance he had with his father as a child. Throughout the work, Roethke effectively conveys tone, style, and setting. Furthermore, the author is eloquently suggestive in childhood introspection.
The poetic tone in "My Daddy's Waltz" is a reflection of how the speaker feels towards his father. The speaker begins the first stanza mentioning the whiskey on his father's breath. This part is loaded with insinuations and stereotypes the audience can identify. Also, The speaker's observation of his father's alcoholism reveals sympathy for his younger self. Roethke's is peculiar in his diction and delivery. A waltz is notated in three by four beats. In like manner, the poem follows a
Show More

Related Documents: My Papa's Waltz Tone

Summary Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, is described by Theodore Roethke of how a young boy or himself was abused and beaten by his father. Within the poem Roethke describes with imagery of how it felt for a young boy or himself to be treated as a non-important human. It also explains how a drunk father becomes so intoxicated that he is unaware of his actions which are being taken out on his son. Since the father is so intoxicated he becomes unfocused of what his actions are causing him to do during the time…

Words 1002 - Pages 5

Comparing My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays By Robert Hayden

in modern society is to use the tools around them to better their situation. Despite some people's best intentions, even the most heartfelt attempts at expressing appreciation can fall flat. Although the father's in "Those Winter Sundays" and "My Papa's Waltz" both love their sons, they express that love in completely different ways. In the poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden, the father is a hard working man, who is not appreciated by his family despite everything he does for them. The son…

Words 624 - Pages 3

Poetry Paper Feb 2012

a little trouble finding my interpretations of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, and “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath, but at the end of my readings and analysis I felt as if I understood the authors and their emotions. Trying to compare and contrast them was a new and challenging experience for me with poetry but it ended up being fun and enlightening. When it comes to what Roethke would think of Plath’s poem, I feel as if Roethke would feel bad for Plath’s persona and tone in her poem and the sadness…

Words 1412 - Pages 6

My Papa's Waltz Literary Devices

In Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” the readers find themselves in a scene of barbarity, establishing the beating of a child by his father, in which each stanza is portrayed with the alluring romantic appealing dance the waltz. As the poem is represented the emotions given in the stanzas are depicting the narrator, during the duration of time the poem was written, is not well interpreting this situation as a “bad” circumstance. Roethke incorporates the use of the waltz as an attraction a benefit…

Words 905 - Pages 4

Comparing My Papa's Waltz And Shooting Rats At The Maverick Bar

What do alcohol, violence, and tranquility have in common? The poems “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, “I Went into the Maverick Bar” by Gary Snyder, “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry, and “Shooting Rats at the Bibb County Dump” by David Bottoms show how these three seemingly different things can be related to each other. Alcohol may result in violence or peacefulness which shows one obvious connection between these three things. I believe tranquility, violence, and alcohol are related…

Words 812 - Pages 4

Those Winter Sundays By Theodore Roethke

poem, “My Father's Hats,” is a wonderful, and touching piece it essentially tells about a tyke's memory of his (or her?) dad basically through the sense of smell. As we probably are aware, scents can be to a great degree capable memory runs. For this situation, the speaker came to up to the rack in the coat storage room and savored the odors of his dad's different…

Words 807 - Pages 4

P Pierce Argumentative Essay Wrt 102 10

Philip Pierce Professor Salzer WRT 102 CRN #10170 6:10pm-8:50pm W 10/16/2013 A Waltz in Time It is a reserved estimate that two out of every five men in America who grew up with a dominant male influence during the early 1900’s experienced the misfortunes of reprimand. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, written by Theodore Roethke in 1942, the author describes punishment he received from his father that leaves much to the imagination of the reader. Although Roethke makes no mention as to the cause…

Words 732 - Pages 3

Papa's Waltz Explication

Explication of Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke’s piece of poetry “My Papa’s Waltz” is created as a tribute to his father to whom he loves dearly, drunk and all, and manifests the appreciation and admiration of the unconditional love that family offers. This piece mingles with society’s boundaries involving children, what they are exposed to, what situations are appropriate for them to interact with, and what effect it will have on them. The poem opens with the detail “whiskey…

Words 892 - Pages 4

Summary Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

In “My Papa’s Waltz,” author Theodore Roethke vividly revisits a childhood memory with his father in mind as he tries dissolve a deeper meaning from his relationship between the two. The tone of the excerpt can be seen as both a maniacal but warm-hearted moment that takes place in a common household. Roethke's work can taken into many different points of views which puts metaphorical spin on the poem to keep the reader baffled. Many examples of this strategy can be found all throughout the passage…

Words 397 - Pages 2

the end Essay

able to captivate readers with the distinctive use of several figurative devices. In “My Papa’s Waltz” readers could easily mistake this poem for a story about a child being abused by his alcoholic father. Theodore Roethke captivates an evening in the home of a hard working father who comes home from work and just wants to spend time with his son who he loves before he goes to bed. Theodore Roethke uses tone, personification, and metaphor to illustrate an innocent evening that a small child recalls…

Words 906 - Pages 4