'MY PAPA'S WALTZ' by Theodore RoethkeThe whiskey on your breath |
What Is 'My Papa's Waltz' About?
My Papa's Waltz is about a moment in life of a family, mostly the relationship of a father and son. Other people believe that this poem is describing the abuse of a child and how torn up the family is. Others believe that there is love and hardship between the father and son. The poem gives the impression of the love and hardship between the father and son through the imagery and language, the tone in the poem and the symbolism. I chose this poem because this poem is often misunderstood by readers and I too was misunderstood by the actual story of the poem which made me want to know more about it.
What Are the Poetic Techniques?
One of the poetic techniques is metaphor. The boy had to 'hung on like death' which explains that the waltz might be scary and not just hard from line 4: 'such waltzing was not easy' explains that the waltzing wasn't easy and it was scary. Speaking in an extended metaphor, the boy could describe his relationship with his father to be difficult and hard.
Another poetic technique is simile. In line 3, the boy said that he 'hung on like death' . He's holding on to his father so hard that he's as avoidable as death.
- Another example of a metaphor is in lines 9 & 10, the father keeps messing up and missing steps, scratching his kid in the process. This could be a metaphor for the father's mistakes in real life, which could hurt his kid in non-physical ways as well.
- The last example would be line 13, 'You beat time on my head'. I think that the father isn't physically beating his head. I think it's a metaphor for the father convincing and compelling the son into thinking that there's more time and they can keep waltzing.
Another poetic technique is simile. In line 3, the boy said that he 'hung on like death' . He's holding on to his father so hard that he's as avoidable as death.
What Themes Are They?
There are 4 themes identified in this poem: Family, admiration, men & masculinity and power.
Family is probably the main theme in this poem. Family is a theme in this poem because it involves the relationship of a father and son. Some people believes their family is happy while others view the family to be torn apart by alcohol and abuse. I think that the family has both happiness and fear.
Admiration is another theme found in the poem. Even though the son in "My Papa's Waltz" is dizzy, and keeps getting his ear scraped by his dad's belt, he still clings to his father. This shows that he really looks up to, admires and love him to not what to let go of him.
Men & masculinity is also another theme found in the poem. The father, with his rough hands, battered knuckles and the one leading the waltz is the masculine one. His rough hands and battered knuckles means that he works hard everyday. On the other hand, his son plays the feminine one, following his father's moves. The real female, his mother, stands by and watches.
Last but not least, power is found in this poem. For small children, parents are able to do anything. Kids' parents tell them when to eat, when to go out, when to stay in, and, as in "My Papa's Waltz," when to sleep. The poem directly shows that the father leads his son in waltzing and romping. He has control over the child's bed time. He father even has power over his wife, who stands by watching, helpless to prevent her husband and son from turning the kitchen into a mess.
Family is probably the main theme in this poem. Family is a theme in this poem because it involves the relationship of a father and son. Some people believes their family is happy while others view the family to be torn apart by alcohol and abuse. I think that the family has both happiness and fear.
Admiration is another theme found in the poem. Even though the son in "My Papa's Waltz" is dizzy, and keeps getting his ear scraped by his dad's belt, he still clings to his father. This shows that he really looks up to, admires and love him to not what to let go of him.
Men & masculinity is also another theme found in the poem. The father, with his rough hands, battered knuckles and the one leading the waltz is the masculine one. His rough hands and battered knuckles means that he works hard everyday. On the other hand, his son plays the feminine one, following his father's moves. The real female, his mother, stands by and watches.
Last but not least, power is found in this poem. For small children, parents are able to do anything. Kids' parents tell them when to eat, when to go out, when to stay in, and, as in "My Papa's Waltz," when to sleep. The poem directly shows that the father leads his son in waltzing and romping. He has control over the child's bed time. He father even has power over his wife, who stands by watching, helpless to prevent her husband and son from turning the kitchen into a mess.
My Opinions
Honestly, I was confused with the relationship the father and son had. Whether it was an abusive relationship or a loving relationship that was misunderstood by many. After searching and reading numerous times, I finally answered all my questions and realized it was both love and fear in their relationship. The fact that the father works hard everyday and drinks lots, the son still clings onto the father like he was someone he wanted to be. The poem made me question a lot which is what all poems need to do, to make their readers question.