Theodore Roethke Use Metaphors In My Papa's Waltz

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The bond between a father and son is a special, infrangible bond that every child longs for. In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, the narrator uses equivocal language to attempt to cover up his father’s drunken ways. The little boy is desperately trying to convince himself and the reader that he and his father are just waltzing around playfully. The poet uses metaphors, irony, and word choice to show the mix of emotions of fear and unconditional love between a father and his son. Roethke uses metaphors in “My Papa’s Waltz” to describe the relationship between father and son. The metaphor “But I hung on like death” shows just how dependent the boy is on his father. The metaphor shows that the young boy must trust his drunken fathers waltzing and how he holds on to him as though his life depends on it. The son has …show more content…
As the boy and his father “waltz” around the house, the boy acts as though he is having a great time. All the while he is actually terrified of the actions of his drunken father towards him or his mother. The entire poem is all one ironic storyline based on drunken and abusive ways. The title of the poem is also ironic. It broadens the way one could interpret the poem. It could be interpreted as a happy childhood memory. However, as the poem progresses, it is evident that the poem is based off of his bad childhood memories of his father. The irony in the poem is that a young boy waltzing with his father should be fun for the little boy. However, he is actually terrified of his drunken father’s ways. While the poem points out obvious use of irony, it also has some hidden irony in the poem. As a small child, one would expect their parents to be more responsibly-minded. However, in “My Papa’s Waltz” the little boy is more perceptive than his parents. The use of irony in the poem helps the reader to understand the hardships and trials, such as having to become very mature at such a young

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