Waltz

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is a simple poem with a deeper meaning. When I first read this poem, I thought it was about a young boy dancing around the kitchen with his father. As I read it over again, I realized the sadness and despair tones of the poem. The young boy is blind to his father’s alcoholism. After analyzing the structure, diction, and overall theme of “My Papa’s Waltz”, I found a much darker meaning to this thought provoking poem. Roethke’s choice of structure has an…

In Paula Vogel’s The Baltimore Waltz, the most important character relationship is between Anna and Carl. Their sibling bond is close and is displayed throughout the course of one act. Since they have a particularly close relationship, Carl’s death at the end of the play is hard for Anna to take in thus resulting in an alternative fantasy where Anna is diagnosed with ATD and the pair goes gallivanting across Europe. The loss of her brother requires Anna to cope with the loss by imagining a world…

“My Papa’s Waltz Tone” “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem that can be both interpreted as “bitter” and as “sweet”. Depending upon how one views it, there are both parts that represent “bitter” and also parts that represent “sweet”. The parts that are seen as “sweet” visually describe the boys affection to his father and also the bonding between the father and son. The parts that are seen as “bitter” visually describes the fathers appearance and his actions. The quote “Life is about change.…

The poem, "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, depict a conflict between a father and a son. The son portray his father as a drunk person, and his relationship with his father wasn't a lovely one. They usually waltz, a smooth dance that require close position. The son usually smell whiskey in his father's breath, which mean that the son was somewhat tall or his father short enough. Though they didn't have a close relationship, Roethke never state that he didn't like his father, whether he…

Theodore Roethke conveys a child’s unrelenting love and dependence to their parents despite the cruelness shown by them in the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”. The poem describes the child to be “clinging” (Roethke 16) to the father and is “hung on like death” (Roethke 3). Roethke depicts the dependence of the child to their father figure and the seeking of love they wish to be able to see. Children try to rationalize the things their parents do, so their behavior is viewed as nothing less than what is…

In class, we reviewed two poems, Ballad of Birmingham and My Papa’s Waltz. From a first glance, these poems couldn’t be anymore different. Besides, the fact that these poems have different topics, the poems differ in word choice and imagery. In My Papa’s Waltz, the author, Theodore Roethke, uses phrases such as, “palm caked hard by mud” (My Papa’s Waltz, Roethke) and “every step you missed” (My Papa’s Waltz, Roethke) to paint the picture of a drunk father who cannot keep his balance. The…

meaning that it is sometimes confusing to understand. The actual meaning can sometimes be trapped under the beautiful display of the context, but by using literary devices such as imagery, the poem or story comes to light. This is the case in “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. Mr. Roethke writes a poem about an early…

In "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke and "Digging" written by Seamus Heaney, both the poem are about the writer's association with their father when they were young. Both parents function as workers, and both poets admire their father for their diligent work. In "My Papa's Waltz", the poet specifies that his father's hand have a battered knuckle on one hand and a palm built up hard by soil. In fact, this demonstrates that his father works hard. When he finishes his duty, he would tend to…

Katy Boozer Mrs. Geren English 102-48 March 17, 2017 A Father and Son After first reading and analyzing the poem titled "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, a negative or positive feeling could be shaped. Because of a portion of the words in this poem, it is reasonable why this sort of response could be evoked. Basic speculation allows one to better comprehend what Roethke may truly mean. Throughout the poem, the rhyme scheme, mood, figurative language, the tone of the author, and the…

The Melting Pot I choose the “Arabian Waltz” by the Silk Road Ensemble as my song. This group is composed of “distinguished musicians, composers and performing artists from more than 20 countries around the world to celebrate, explore and experiment with a wide variety of cultural approaches to musical performances” (The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: Live from Tanglewood). At the beginning of the piece I felt very serene with just a couple of instruments playing. However, when all the…