thesis statement of my papa waltz

• Ask LitCharts AI
• Discussion Question Generator
• Essay Prompt Generator
• Quiz Question Generator

• Literature Guides
• Poetry Guides
• Shakespeare Translations
• Literary Terms

My Papa’s Waltz Summary & Analysis by Theodore Roethke

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

“My Papa’s Waltz” was written by the American poet Theodore Roethke. It was first published in 1942, then collected in his book The Lost Son and Other Poems in 1948. At first glance, the poem describes a charming family scene: a father and son dance together in the kitchen, roughhousing and romping around. But the speaker supplies a number of hints that things aren’t quite as happy as they seem. The poem subtly reflects on the tension between fathers and sons—tension that in turn may suggest undercurrents of violence.

• Read the full text of “My Papa’s Waltz”

The Full Text of “My Papa’s Waltz”

“my papa’s waltz” summary, “my papa’s waltz” themes.

Fathers, Sons, and Masculinity

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “my papa’s waltz”.

The whiskey on ... ... was not easy.

We romped until ... ... not unfrown itself.

The hand that ... ... scraped a buckle.

Lines 13-16

You beat time ... ... to your shirt.

“My Papa’s Waltz” Symbols

• Line 5: “pans”

• Line 4: “waltzing”
• Line 15: “waltzed”

“My Papa’s Waltz” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

End-stopped line.

• Line 2: “dizzy;”
• Line 3: “death:”
• Line 4: “easy.”
• Line 6: “shelf;”
• Line 8: “itself.”
• Line 10: “knuckle;”
• Line 12: “buckle.”
• Line 14: “dirt,”
• Line 16: “shirt.”
• Lines 1-2: “breath / Could”
• Lines 5-6: “pans / Slid”
• Lines 7-8: “countenance / Could”
• Lines 9-10: “wrist / Was”
• Lines 11-12: “missed / My”
• Lines 13-14: “head / With”
• Lines 15-16: “bed  / Still”

Alliteration

• Line 1: “b”
• Line 2: “b,” “d”
• Line 3: “d”
• Line 4: “w,” “w”
• Line 5: “W”
• Line 6: “k”
• Line 7: “M,” “m,” “c”
• Line 8: “C”
• Line 9: “h,” “h”
• Line 10: “b”
• Line 11: “m”
• Line 12: “M,” “b”
• Line 13: “b,” “h”
• Line 14: “c,” “h”
• Line 15: “b”
• Line 16: “c”
• Line 1: “o,” “ea”
• Line 2: “a”
• Line 3: “I,” “o,” “i,” “ea”
• Line 4: “a,” “o”
• Line 5: “i”
• Line 6: “i,” “i,” “e,” “e”
• Line 7: “ou,” “e”
• Line 8: “ow,” “e”
• Line 9: “i”
• Line 10: “o,” “u”
• Line 11: “e,” “e,” “i”
• Line 12: “u”
• Line 13: “i,” “y,” “ea”
• Line 14: “y,” “i”
• Line 15: “a,” “o,” “e”
• Line 16: “i,” “i,” “i,” “i”
• Line 1: “w,” “r,” “b,” “r”
• Line 2: “d,” “m,” “m,” “b,” “d,” “zz”
• Line 3: “l,” “d”
• Line 4: “S,” “w,” “z,” “w,” “s,” “s”
• Line 5: “m,” “p,” “l,” “p”
• Line 6: “l,” “m,” “k,” “n,” “l,” “f”
• Line 7: “M,” “m,” “c,” “n,” “n,” “n”
• Line 8: “C,” “n,” “n,” “f,” “n,” “l,” “f”
• Line 9: “Th,” “h,” “d,” “th,” “t,” “h,” “d,” “s,” “t”
• Line 10: “b,” “tt,” “n,” “n,” “n,” “ckl”
• Line 11: “t,” “r,” “st,” “p,” “m,” “ss”
• Line 12: “M,” “r,” “r,” “s,” “cr,” “p,” “b,” “ckl”
• Line 13: “b,” “t,” “t,” “m,” “m,” “h,” “d”
• Line 14: “m,” “h,” “d,” “d,” “rt”
• Line 15: “l,” “t,” “t,” “b,” “d”
• Line 16: “ll,” “l,” “t,” “r,” “rt”
• Line 3: “But I hung on like death”

Extended Metaphor

“my papa’s waltz” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• (Location in poem: Line 4: “waltzing”; Line 15: “waltzed”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “My Papa’s Waltz”

Rhyme scheme, “my papa’s waltz” speaker, “my papa’s waltz” setting, literary and historical context of “my papa’s waltz”, more “my papa’s waltz” resources, external resources.

Theodore Roethke Museum — The website of the Theodore Roethke Museum, with photos, recollections from friends, and recommendations for further study.

Introduction to Roethke's Collected Poems — The full text of Edward Hirsch's introduction to Roethke's Collected Poems.

A Tribute to Roethke — Former U.S. Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz, reflects on the importance of Roethke's poetry.

Roethke's Life — A detailed biography of Theodore Roethke from the Poetry Foundation.

Roethke Recites "My Papa's Waltz" — Listen to the poet read his poem aloud.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Theodore Roethke

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

• Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.

A Summary and Analysis of Theodore Roethke’s ‘My Papa’s Waltz’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘My Papa’s Waltz’ is one of the most popular and most widely studied poems by the American poet Theodore Roethke (1908-63). In this poem, published in 1948, Roethke recalls dancing with his drunken father, remembering this childhood experience with mixed feelings.

‘My Papa’s Waltz’: summary

The poem comprises four stanzas, with each stanza containing four lines. The poem describes the waltz the poet would perform at home with his father.

In the first stanza, Roethke addresses his father directly, apostrophising him (that is, addressing someone who is absent). His father had drunk so much whiskey that Roethke could smell it on his breath, and it made him dizzy, as he was so young and not used to alcohol.

But although he felt dizzy, Roethke hung on to his father for dear life, because dancing this particular waltz was not easy and required concentration.

In the second stanza, Roethke recalls how they danced around the kitchen until the pans began to fall off the shelf. The poet’s face was permanently frowning while she watched her husband and son waltzing together, perhaps because she did not approve of the effects of their dancing (those pans falling from the shelf) or because she was sick and tired of her husband, the poet’s father, drinking whiskey and getting inebriated.

The third stanza sees the poet remembering how his father’s hand, the one keeping hold of the boy’s wrist, was battered on one knuckle, while every time the father misses a step in the dance, the boy’s ear scrapes across the father’s belt buckle.

In the final stanza, the poet recalls his father beating musical time on his son’s head with his palm (dirty, we assume, from hard work), before dancing his son off to bed while the boy clings onto his father’s shirt (more on this closing image below).

‘My Papa’s Waltz’: analysis

What kind of poem is ‘My Papa’s Waltz’? It’s clearly a personal poem, in which the poet himself (we can label the speaker in the poem as Roethke with some confidence, based on biographical information) recalls dancing with his father in the kitchen at home. Roethke’s father, Otto, a German immigrant to the United States, had died when the poet was still a teenager.

Indeed, given the autobiographical nature of this poem and the frankness with which Roethke revisits some troubling memories from his childhood, this poem is sometimes viewed as a forerunner to confessional poetry which would be popularised by Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, and others around a decade later, in the late 1950s.

And ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ may appear, to the casual reader, to be a memory of a happy occasion involving the poet’s father. But there’s an undercurrent violence, and the threat of violence, lurking beneath the surface: the father has been drinking, of course, and note how he beats time on his son’s head (and why is one of the father’s knuckles ‘battered’, we might ask?).

He is careless, perhaps as a result of the whiskey he has been drinking; but when he misses a step, his son pays for his mistake, by scraping his ear on his father’s belt buckle. (This gives us an idea of how young Roethke must have been at the time: he is small next to his enormous father, and his head only comes up to his dancing partner’s waist.)

Roethke, by contrast, is characterised by his holding on: he hangs onto his father ‘like death’ (a grimmer turn of phrase than the synonymous ‘hang on for dear life’), and is ‘clinging’ onto his father’s shirt as he is danced off to bed. All he can do is cling on: if dancing is about one partner leading and the other following their lead, the father is clearly the active one, his son a passive participant who is swept up in the experience.

Indeed, that final image is an example of what makes Roethke’s poem so difficult to pin down whenever we try to analyse its meaning. Is the young Roethke clinging to his father’s shirt out of love and a desire to be close to him? Or is it merely for the more pragmatic reason that he doesn’t want his drunken father to drop him next time he misses a step?

Throughout ‘My Papa’s Waltz’, Roethke uses poetic devices effectively to enhance this suggestion of violence. For example, when in the final stanza he tells us that his father ‘beat time on my head’ we are left wondering how his father did this (with a stick?), until we read on to the next line and find it’s the more innocent (though still troubling) ‘With a palm caked hard by dirt’.

This is an example of enjambment : the running-over of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next, without punctuation at the end of the line. Roethke masterfully uses this device to full effect here to give us a moment of pause between the lines, to introduce the threat of violence (already there within the verb ‘beat’) only to minimise that threat as we continue to read.

In the last analysis, then, Roethke’s poem reveals the poet’s ambivalent feelings towards his father as he remembers him now he is an adult himself. There is a suggestion of more violent and fearful moments for the young boy (and we wonder whether the mother’s perpetual frown is revealing of more domestic misery), but there’s also a warmth to the poem, especially in Roethke’s final image of clinging to his father’s shirt.

‘My Papa’s Waltz’: form

In some respects, ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ is an atypical Theodore Roethke poem. If you read one of his other well-known and oft-anthologised poems – ‘ The Waking ’, perhaps, or ‘ Child on Top of a Greenhouse ’ – you will see how much plainer and more direct the language of ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ is than those poems.

However, Roethke’s poetry is always attentive to form, and this poem is formally regular, arranged into four quatrains (four-line stanzas) rhymed abab . The alternate rhyme and the steady iambic trimeter metre of the poem both summon the waltz itself. The metre is iambic trimeter, which means there are three iambs in each line, an iamb being a foot comprising a light stress followed by a heavy stress. We can see this in the line:

You BEAT time ON my HEAD

Although, occasionally, there are some variations: in the first and third stanzas, the even lines contain an extra syllable at the end of the line (on ‘dizzy’, ‘easy’, ‘knuckle’, and ‘buckle’). This is known as a hypermetrical stress, because it is found over the end of the line, on top of the three iambs which precede it.

There’s also an anapaestic substitution (if we wish to be technical) at the beginning of the second line of the final stanza (‘With a PALM’, where there are two light stresses before the first heavy stress in the line).

Discover more from Interesting Literature

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Type your email…

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

My Papa’s Waltz

By Theodore Roethke

‘My Papa’s Waltz’ by Theodore Roethke is a surprisingly dark poem. It depicts a possibly abusive father who “waltzes” his son to bed.

Theodore Roethke

His work has been praised by many poets worldwide.

Poem Analyzed by Emma Baldwin

B.A. English (Minor: Creative Writing), B.F.A. Fine Art, B.A. Art Histories

Theodore Roethke first published ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ in 1942 but it was later included in The Lost Son and Other Poems in 1948 . This poem is often considered an autobiographical depiction of the poet’s own childhood. His father lived a hard life and the line “caked hard by dirt” might reference his profession as well as his nature.  

Explore My Papa's Waltz

• 1 Summary of My Papa’s Waltz
• 2 Themes in My Papa’s Waltz
• 3 Structure and Form of My Papa’s Waltz
• 4 Literary Devices in My Papa’s Waltz
• 5 Analysis of My Papa’s Waltz
• 6 Similar Poems 

Summary of My Papa’s Waltz

In the first lines of this poem, the speaker describes his father’s whiskey breath, his movements, and how “Such waltzing was not easy”. This waltzing is very soon revealed to be a spinning confusion of patterned violence. It’s clear that this “dance” the two engage in is not new. They “romped” and “waltzed” around the kitchen making a mess, much to the mother’s displeasure until he held his son’s wrist and took him up to bed.  

Themes in My Papa’s Waltz

Throughout this poem, Roethke explores themes of father/son relationships and violence. The latter is seen in striking moments in the second half. It is one part of their relationship, but it is not all of it. It’s clear enthuse lines that whatever kind of relationship they have it is filled with difficulties. Their dance represents the complex nature of their relationship, the arguments and physical fights, differences in belief, life goals, and day-to-day life.  

Structure and Form of My Papa’s Waltz

‘ My Papa’s Waltz’ by Theodore Roethke is a four-stanza poem that is separated into stanzas of four lines, known as quatrains . These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB and make use of the meter of iambic trimeter . The metrical pattern is not consistent throughout but mostly the lines are made up of three sets of two beats, the first of which is unstressed and the second stressed. At some points, there is an extra unstressed syllable at the end of a line that interrupts the balance of the meter. This is very directly connected to the off-balance dance that the father and son are engaging in.  

Literary Devices in My Papa’s Waltz

Roethke makes use of several literary devices in ‘My Papa’s Waltz’. These include but are not limited to examples of allusion , enjambment , and similes . Throughout this poem, there are allusions to an undercurrent of violence that makes this “dance” all the stranger. In reality, the dance is a metaphor for the more complex relationship the son has with his father. Their off-balance movements represent their inability to understand one another and navigate their lives. But, it is impossible to ignore words like “battered” and phrases like “scarped a buckle” and “held my wrist” that suggest more physical violence.  

There is a good simile in the first stanza where the speaker says that he “hung on like death” to his father as they spun and romped through the kitchen. This makes it seem as though the son’s grasp is something inescapable.  

Analysis of My Papa’s Waltz

Stanza one  .

The whiskey on your breath (…)

In the first lines of ‘My Papa’s Waltz,’ the speaker describes the sights, sounds, and feelings that the “waltz” evoked. He could smell the whiskey, enough to make him dizzy. He spun, metaphorically , with his father through the house. This “dance” is a metaphor for the relationship the two have. The son holds on like death, trying to remain attached to his father. The word “death” also suggests that the son’s grasp is detrimental to the father. Perhaps he has yet to come to an understanding of how what their relationship is. It was “not easy” to hang on , to stick with his father through his ups and downs.  

(…) My mother’s countenance Could not unfrown itself.

The second stanza describes the metaphorical dance further. The son and father moved through the kitchen, disrupting the balance of the room. His mother disapproved of the whole thing. She was unable to “unfrown” herself. This suggests that she too is used to this chaotic relationship, but she doesn’t approve of it.  

Stanza Three  

The hand that held my wrist (…) My right ear scraped a buckle.

It is in the third stanza that it becomes clear that there’s something darker going on. The dance is not even as innocent as it appeared up until this point. Words like “battered” and “scraped a buckle” make it seem as though the father beats his son. There is violence in this relationship somewhere and the son is on the receiving end of it.  

Stanza Four

You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, (…)

The fourth and final quatrain of ‘My Papa’s Waltz’ concludes the poem with the child being sent to bed. He’s still “clinging to” his father’s shirt, unwilling to let go and relinquish whatever semblance of a relationship they have. His determination is admirable even in the face of his father “beat[ing] time on” his head.  

Similar Poems  

Poems about father/son relationships are far from rare. There is any number, positive or negative, to choose from when looking through centuries of poetry. Some of these include ‘my father moved through dooms of love’ by e.e. cummings about his own father, a Unitarian minister. Or, there is ‘ Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath, often quoted as one of her most troubling poems. Quite different from Plath is ‘ I Will Go With My Father a-Plaughing’ by Joseph Campbell and ‘ Those Winter Sundays’ by Robert Hayden.

Home » Theodore Roethke » My Papa’s Waltz

About Emma Baldwin

Join poetry + and comment, join conversations.

Share your thoughts and be part of engaging discussions.

Expert Replies

Get personalized insights from our Qualified Poetry Experts.

Connect with Poetry Lovers

Build connections with like-minded individuals.

Access the Complete PDF Guide of this Poem

Poetry + PDF Guides are designed to be the ultimate PDF Guides for poetry. The PDF Guide consists of a front cover, table of contents, with the full analysis, including the Poetry+ Review Corner and numerically referenced literary terms, plus much more.

Get the PDF Guide

Experts in Poetry

Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other.

Cite This Page

Baldwin, Emma. "My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/theodore-roethke/my-papas-waltz/ . Accessed 18 October 2024.

[email protected]

Poem Solutions Limited International House 36-38 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NG United Kingdom

Help Center

Request an Analysis

(not a member? Join now)

Poem PDF Guides

PDF Learning Library

Beyond the Verse Podcast

Poetry Archives

Poetry Explained

Poet Biographies

Useful Links

Poem Explorer

Poem Generator

Download Poetry PDF Guides for this Poem

Complete Poetry PDF Guide

Perfect Offline Resource

Covers Everything You Need to Know

One-pager 'snapshot' PDF

Offline Resource

Gateway to deeper understanding

300+ Reviews

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “my papa’s waltz” by theodore roethke.

Table of Contents

Text: “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke

The whiskey on your breath   

Such waltzing was not easy.

My mother’s countenance   

Was battered on one knuckle;   

You beat time on my head   

Still clinging to your shirt.

Annotations: “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke

Literary And Poetic Devices: “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke

Themes : “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke

Literary theories and “my papa’s waltz” by theodore roethke.

Critical Questions about “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke

Literary works similar to “my papa’s waltz” by theodore roethke, suggested readings: “my papa’s waltz” by theodore roethke, representative quotations: “my papa’s waltz” by theodore roethke.

Related posts:

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Papa’s Waltz

My papa’s waltz summary.

Stanza I (line 1-4):

The narrator says that his father’s hand, which he was holding his wrist with while waltzing, was injured. He says that he could see his father’s injured knuckles. He further says that every time his drunk father missed a step in the waltz, his head would scrap against his father’s belt buckle.

Background of the Poem

Historical context of the poem.

The poem was written in the 1940s and was published for the first time in 1942. Those were the years of World War II and a time of great transformation for American society. But the poet does not write about that time, instead, he reflects on his past and writes about his childhood years. He reflects on his relationship with his father when he was a child.

Literary Context of the Poem

Father and son, masculinity, power and authority.

But she cannot stop the waltz. She just stands there and frowns. All this shows the dominance of the father over the family. It is the father who has the power and authority over all in the family.

Order Vs Disorder

Literary analysis.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is written in the form of a loose ballad that contains four quatrains (stanzas having four lines each) that make a total of sixteen lines in the poem.

Stanza I (line 1-4)

Stanza ii (line 5-8), stanza iii (line 9-12), stanza iv (line 13-16), significance of the title, point of view of the poem.

The speaker possibly reflects on the most difficult memory of his past.

Tone of the Poem

Setting of the poem.

The setting of the poem is the family kitchen of the narrator when he was a child. He and his father waltz in the kitchen and then his father takes him to his bed.

Since the poem is about the narrator’s childhood, a very detailed location is not provided. The narrator is a child and he focuses only on things that are immediate and are in front of him such as his mother’s frowning face, his father’s bruised knuckles, and his hard, dirty palms.

The poem is in the form of a loose ballad . It has four quatrains (stanzas that have four lines) which mean the poem consists of a total of sixteen lines where the first line rhymes with the third line of the poem and the second line rhymes with the fourth line.

The poem My Papa’s Waltz is written in iambic trimeter . Iambic trimeter has a stressed-unstressed pattern with three feet per line. For example:

The whis | key on | your breath (line 1)

The odd lines of the poem are in perfect iambic trimeter while the even lines sometimes have a feminine ending which means they have an extra unstressed  syllable at the end, such as:

Literary Devices

Alliteration.

The h and that h eld my wrist (line 9)

The consonant sound w is repeated at the beginning of neighboring words in the above line.

It is the repetition of the same consonant sound within any syllable of the neighboring words in the same line. For example:

Could not un f rown itsel f . (line 8)

The above line has the repetition of the consonant sound d in adjacent words.

It is the repetition of the same vowel sound within the adjacent words in the same line. For example:

The long vowel sound a is repeated in the neighboring words.

The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is an extended metaphor itself. The poem is a metaphor that refers to the relationship between the father and the son. The waltz of the father and the son not only literally refers to the dance but also refers to the tension in their complex relationship.

End-stopped Lines

In the poem almost every other line is end-stopped. This is done to organize the poem and to separate stanzas from each other.

Each of the stanzas is divided into two halves, each of which is a complete sentence.

For example:

Slid from the kitchen shelf; (line 6)

Could not unfrown itself. (line 8)

But I hung on like death; (line 3)

Rhyme Scheme

Slant rhymes.

The poem also uses slant rhymes such as:

The oddness in the rhymes of the poem reflects the tension between the father and the son. The father is drunk, he often misses a step and loses rhythm. The rhyme scheme works in the same way. It reflects the violence and tension that exists between the father and the son.

More From Theodore Roethke

Poems & Poets

My Papa’s Waltz

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    Slid from the kitchen shelf;    My mother’s countenance    Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist    Was battered on one knuckle;    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    Still clinging to your shirt. Copyright Credit: Theodore Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz" from Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke .  Copyright 1942 by Heast Magazines, Inc.  Used by permission of Doubleday, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Source: The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke (1961)

Analysis of my Papa’s Waltz

This essay about Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” explores the intricate layers of interpretation present within the text. It into the seemingly tender moment between father and son, while also unraveling the darker undertones of domestic dysfunction and potential violence. Through careful analysis of language, imagery, and structure, the essay highlights the complexities inherent in familial relationships and invites readers to contemplate the varying perspectives and interpretations of the poem.

How it works

Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” has long been a subject of critical analysis, inviting diverse interpretations that range from the innocent nostalgia of childhood to the darker themes of domestic violence and dysfunction. As a diligent student of literature, it is crucial to approach this poem with a discerning eye, examining its nuances, language, and imagery to unravel its complexities and derive a comprehensive understanding.

At first glance, “My Papa’s Waltz” appears to depict a tender moment between a father and his son engaged in a lively dance.

The waltz symbolizes intimacy and affection, as the father twirls his child around the room in a carefree manner. The use of the word “waltz” itself conjures images of grace and elegance, suggesting a harmonious interaction between the two characters. This interpretation aligns with the nostalgic reminiscence of childhood experiences, where even mundane activities take on a magical quality in retrospect.

However, upon closer examination, subtle hints emerge that complicate this seemingly idyllic portrayal. The poem’s opening line, “The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small boy dizzy,” introduces an element of ambiguity and suggests a potentially darker undertone. The smell of alcohol on the father’s breath hints at excessive drinking, raising questions about his behavior and its impact on the family dynamics.

The poem’s imagery further reinforces this ambiguity, with descriptions that evoke both warmth and discomfort. The father’s hands are described as “battered,” implying a history of roughness or violence, yet they also convey a sense of familiarity and security as they grip the child’s wrist. Similarly, the use of the word “beat” in the line “You beat time on my head” carries dual connotations, suggesting both the rhythmic movement of the dance and the possibility of physical abuse.

The poem’s language also plays a crucial role in shaping its interpretation. The use of words such as “scraped,” “battered,” and “romped” evokes a sense of physicality and roughness, contrasting with the traditional image of a tender waltz. The repeated use of the word “romped” in particular suggests a lack of control or restraint, hinting at the chaotic nature of the father’s actions.

Moreover, the poem’s structure adds another layer of complexity to its analysis. Written in iambic trimeter, with a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme, the poem has a rhythmic quality that mirrors the waltz itself. This regularity creates a sense of order and stability, even as the content of the poem suggests underlying tension and instability. The juxtaposition of form and content invites readers to consider the contrast between appearances and reality, prompting deeper reflection on the complexities of human relationships.

Ultimately, the interpretation of “My Papa’s Waltz” depends on the reader’s perspective and personal experiences. While some may see it as a nostalgic tribute to the bond between father and son, others may view it as a poignant depiction of the challenges inherent in familial relationships. As a diligent student of literature, it is important to approach this poem with an open mind and a willingness to explore its various layers of meaning.

In conclusion, Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” defies easy categorization, inviting readers to grapple with its complex themes and imagery. Through careful analysis of its language, structure, and symbolism, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of this evocative poem. Whether viewed as a joyful celebration of childhood or a sobering exploration of family dynamics, “My Papa’s Waltz” continues to resonate with readers and spark meaningful discussions about the intricacies of human relationships.

Cite this page

Analysis of My Papa's Waltz. (2024, Apr 07). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/

"Analysis of My Papa's Waltz." PapersOwl.com , 7 Apr 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Analysis of My Papa's Waltz . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/ [Accessed: 18 Oct. 2024]

"Analysis of My Papa's Waltz." PapersOwl.com, Apr 07, 2024. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/

"Analysis of My Papa's Waltz," PapersOwl.com , 07-Apr-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/. [Accessed: 18-Oct-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Analysis of My Papa's Waltz . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/analysis-of-my-papas-waltz/ [Accessed: 18-Oct-2024]

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs.

Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+!

Please check your inbox.

You can order an original essay written according to your instructions.

Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide

1. Tell Us Your Requirements

2. Pick your perfect writer

3. Get Your Paper and Pay

Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!

Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.

short deadlines

100% Plagiarism-Free

Certified writers

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — My Papa's Waltz — Literary Analysis Of My Papa’s Waltz By Theodore Roethke

Literary Analysis of My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke

• Categories: Child Abuse My Papa's Waltz Poetry

About this sample

Words: 1260 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 1260 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Law, Crime & Punishment Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4.5 pages / 1949 words

2.5 pages / 1235 words

4 pages / 1740 words

3 pages / 1378 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on My Papa's Waltz

The poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a fascinating piece that's been puzzling readers since it came out in 1942. It's just sixteen lines long, but it really digs into the complicated relationship between a father [...]

Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" offers an intricate exploration of childhood experiences, providing a fertile ground for a "My Papa's Waltz" analysis essay. Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” is told from a [...]

Family relationships are meaningful and complicated at the same time. Every relationship is different. One special relationship is between a father and his child. Poetry is an excellent way to portrait this relationship. Both [...]

In "My Papa’s Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, the interpretation of the poem depends on the readers perspective. It is a great poem that can mean many different things to many different people. Some people think that this poem is [...]

When reading Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz," one cannot help but be captivated by the vivid imagery and the contrasting emotions it evokes. The poem describes a dance between a father and his child, but beneath the [...]

Theodore Roethke's poem, "My Papa's Waltz," has long been a subject of debate among literary scholars due to its complex and ambiguous tone. The poem portrays a father and son engaged in a waltz, but the speaker's emotions and [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Stanzas Analysis of “My Papa’s Waltz” by T. Roethke Essay

My Papa’s Waltz is a classical poem depicting typical family life. The short poem is reminiscent of a father and son dance, showing moments of joy and sadness during the Waltz. The poem is a complex piece because of the different interpretations caused by the twisted diction and other literary devices (Roethke and William 1). Stanza one and two of the poem reveal the poem’s twist and complexity as events depict the bitter-sweet experience.

Stanza one, a quatrain opens with a suggestive line “The whiskey on your breath”. This statement reveals to the reader that the narrator’s father was drunk (Roethke & William 1). The poet wrote, “Could make a small boy dizzy”, to stress the first line, which portrays a dire situation (Roethke and William 1). This statement brings out the theme of alcoholism. I think this statement was used to uncover the hidden meaning of the poem because it is when the father is heavily drunk that fear and violence creeps. The third lines indicate that he hung on like death which is a simile used to bring out the tenderness or love portrayed in the poem. Finally, the fourth line mentions that waltzing was not easy, meaning that balancing the father-son relationship was tainted by his bad habits, such as chronic alcoholism.

Stanza two provides a vivid description of waltzing by using its synonym “romping”, which means to engage in a vigorous play. Usually, aggression is intertwined with violence which depicts the bitter or sorrowful part of the poem (Roethke and William 1). As romping continued, the pans were falling because of the commotion and his mother was not pleased by this action. The mother’s helplessness is another point I think was used to depict the sad part of the poem and showcase the effects of alcoholism. The reason is that if the father were sober, he would have identified that his actions made his family uncomfortable and afraid of him.

Roethke, Theodore, and William De Witt Snodgrass. My papa’s waltz . Bluestem Press, College of Saint Benedict, 2001.

• “American Sonnet for My Past and Future Assassin” by Terrance Hayes
• The "You Fit Into Me" Poem by Margaret Atwood
• My papa’s waltz
• Theodore Roethke and Sylvia Plath
• Memories in Poems by R.Carver, E.Millay and T.Roethke
• Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” and Duffy’s “Little Red-Cap” Poems
• “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Dickinson Reviewed
• Geoff Wisner: Sappho 31 Analysis
• Traditional Sociocultural Elements of the Germanic Society in the “Beowulf” Poem
• Isabella Crawford’s The Camp of Souls Poem
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, November 29). Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stanzas-analysis-of-my-papas-waltz-by-t-roethke/

"Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke." IvyPanda , 29 Nov. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/stanzas-analysis-of-my-papas-waltz-by-t-roethke/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke'. 29 November.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke." November 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stanzas-analysis-of-my-papas-waltz-by-t-roethke/.

1. IvyPanda . "Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke." November 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stanzas-analysis-of-my-papas-waltz-by-t-roethke/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Stanzas Analysis of "My Papa's Waltz" by T. Roethke." November 29, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/stanzas-analysis-of-my-papas-waltz-by-t-roethke/.

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

• Basic site functions
• Ensuring secure, safe transactions
• Secure account login
• Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
• Remembering privacy and security settings
• Analyzing site traffic and usage
• Personalized search, content, and recommendations
• Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

• Remembering general and regional preferences
• Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy .

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .