The Waking By Theodore Roethke

Theodore Roethke's "The Waking" employs a highly structured villanelle form and earthen imagery to purposefully praise a life lived without a fear of the unknown. The villanelle opens by stating "I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow", establishing the speaker's relaxed attitude and towards life's path and their ideals, maintained throughout the poem. It is made clear that the speaker has no intention of attempting to control or worry over their path, shown through the line "I learn by going where I have to go", repeated throughout the poem. The highly structured villanelle form clashes with the speaker's message and way of life, which is lived without a desire to control nature's path. This aids in highlighting the inability to control