There are experiences emblazoned on a child's memory that will last a lifetime. Sometimes it is a random picnic or a bedtime ritual. While some people will remember special holidays or a specific gift, others remember life as a series of experiences and emotions. In Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" (1942) the speaker recounts a memory with his father and explores the father and son dynamic. The dance-like rough-housing is a memorable experience for the speaker, whose father's rough nature still expressed love. In what unconventional ways do parents express love for their children?
"My Papa's Waltz" At a Glance
| "My Papa's Waltz" Poem Analysis & Summary |
| Author | Theodore Roethke |
| Published | 1942 |
| Structure | 4 quatrains |
| Rhyme scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH |
| Meter | Iambic trimeter |
| Tone | A short poem in which a young boy, presumably the poet himself, recounts a moment from his childhood when he danced with his father. The 'waltz' becomes a symbol of the dynamic between the child and his father, characterized by both affection and a sense of unease. |
| Summary of "My Papa's Waltz" | The poem explores the father and son dynamic. |
| Literary devices | Imagery, simile, extended metaphor |
| Themes | Power and control, ambiguity, parent-child relationships, domestic struggles and tensions. |
| Analysis | - My Papa's Waltz' is a deeply layered and emotionally nuanced poem. The 'waltz', or dance, that the boy and his father engage in can be seen as a metaphor for their relationship. On the surface, it seems affectionate and playful, but a deeper reading reveals hints of roughness and perhaps even abuse.
- The poem's strength lies in its ambiguity, forcing the reader to grapple with contrasting images and feelings, thereby exploring the complexities of familial relationships.
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"My Papa's Waltz" Summary
"My Papa's Waltz" is a narrative poem that tells the memory of a little boy playing rough with his father. Told in the past tense using first-person point of view, the speaker describes his father using imagery and expresses a love and appreciation for him despite the father's rough nature.
The father, characterized as a hardworking man with a physical job, comes home late, somewhat intoxicated but still making time to dance with his son. This physical interaction between father and son, full of energy and clumsy motions, is described with both affection and a sense of danger, hinting at the father's rough, yet caring, demeanor.
The father's "hand that held [his] wrist" (line 9) is caring, cautious not to drop the son, and "waltzed" the child "off to bed" (line 15) as soon as he arrived home. "My Papa's Waltz" captures a working-class father taking the time to show affection to his son after a long day at work. However, the presence of whiskey and his mother;s frown hints at underlying tensions
"My Papa's Waltz" Poem
Below is the poem "My Papa's Waltz" in full.
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pans 5
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother’s countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle; 10
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed 15
Still clinging to your shirt.
"My Papa's Waltz" Rhyme Scheme
Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is organized into four quatrains, or stanzas consisting of four lines each.
A stanza is a poetic structure in which lines of poetry are connected and grouped by idea, rhyme, or visual form. The group of lines in the verse of the poem is usually set apart by a space in the printed text.
Did you know: stanza is Italian for "stopping place."
The verse, written to mimic a loose ballad, or song, keeps a tempo using a recurring pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables, called metric feet.
A metric foot is a recurring pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that often repeat on a single line of poetry and then on each line throughout.
The metric foot in this poem is called an iamb. An iamb is a two-syllable metric foot that is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. It sounds like "daDUM daDUM daDUM." There are six syllables on each line, for a total of three iambs per line. This is known as trimeter. Line 9 includes an example of how "My Papa's Waltz" keeps tempo with iambic trimeter:
"The HAND / that HELD / my WRIST"
line 9
The poem follows a rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH. The natural rhythm created by the poem's meter and rhyme imitates the swing and momentum of an actual waltz. The form serves to enliven the dance between father and son. Reading the poem draws the audience into the dance as well, and includes the reader in the action.
The reader sways along to the words, partakes in the playful game, and feels a connection to the poem—similar to that of the one shared between father and son. Connecting the message through dance and play makes the imagery within the poem and the meaning embedded in the words last in the reader's mind.
"My Papa's Waltz" Tone
The tone of "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is one of ambiguity and complexity. The poem simultaneously conveys a sense of childlike enjoyment, as well as a hint of fear or unease. While the rhythm of the poem suggests a playful dance between a father and child, the word choice and imagery hint at a potential darker side of this relationship, adding a layer of tension and uncertainty to the tone,
"My Papa's Waltz" Analysis
To appreciate the true meaning of Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" it is necessary to take a deeper look at the poetic devices and diction used to bring meaning to the poem. Through careful analysis, it is clear that the poem is a fond memory for the speaker and not an instance of mistreatment.
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