Traumatic Repression of a Waltz In Theodore Roethke’s poem‚ My Papa’s Waltz‚ there seems to be a bit of controversy about what actions are taking place within it. From the title‚ it appears that the father and child were dancing‚ seeing as a waltz is a type of dance. But this is no dance. While waltzing‚ one person leads while the other follows. The father is the leader in this situation‚ showing dominance over his child. This “waltz” is simply something that the father does often. The narrator is
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Memories can be strange. When recalling the past‚ they can still stir up feelings‚ both positive and negative. Theodore Roethke’s “My papa’s waltz” is based on a memory a boy has about his father. By telling this story of night when he and his father waltzed around the home a young boy is actually describing the relationship he had with his father. Through the use of similes‚ word choice and the poem’s rhythm the speaker is able to show the positive memories the boy recalls about his father. Though
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“My Papa’s Waltz’ by Theodore Roethke‚ the speaker’s tone towards his father is one that is loving and admiring. This is seen in the word choice of the speaker when interacting with his father. The loving tone of the speaker is seen through his experience with his father. This is exhibited through the pleasure the speaker takes in dancing with his father. When describing his dance with his father‚ the speaker says‚ “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (Roethke 5-6). The speaker describes
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Literary Analysis - “My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke wrote many poems about his father‚ “My Papa’s Waltz” is one particular poem that is still the source of much debate‚ both in college classrooms and among established literary critics. Initially‚ the poem appears to be a young boys fond recollection of a dance with a tipsy‚ but loving father. Many who read it strongly disagree‚ and feel that the tone is much more severe‚ and alludes to a drunken and abusive father. To clarify this argument
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My Papa’s Waltz The poem my papa’s waltz my Theodore Roethke is a famous 20th century American poet. His poems are typically woven with lots of imagery and have intricate rhyme schemes. This poem is about a young boys intimate relationship with his father. I think the poet is the speaker of the poem and he’s sharing his own experience with the readers through his poem. The first stanza is all about how his drunken father has just returned home after a long hard day of work. He is in the mood
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Theodore Roethke’s poem‚” My Papa’s Waltz” is one that can be interpreted in two ways. For some they say that the boy is enjoying the dance with his father‚ others say he does not. Neither interpretation can be definitively correct because that decision is solely up to the reader. It is up to that individual reader to weigh every aspect of the story and come to their own conclusion on what it all meant. The stance for this essay will be that‚ “My Papa’s Waltz” has a negative connotation because
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Theodore Roethke is one of America’s premier poets‚ ranking alongside Robert Frost‚ Walt Whitman‚ and Carl Sandburg. His 1964 poem “In A Dark Time” is both disturbing and challenging as a man veers on the edge of sanity through an outdoor experience. Roethke demonstrates through subject and form that he is a master poet‚ reflecting the deep inner sense of self that can portray such emotions without being reduced to cliché or juvenilia. The title of the poem—“In A Dark Time”—is the first clue
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to have a voice about what they like or dislike. However‚ some people may disagree that even though they are in a bureaucratic society‚ they still do not have a voice in many issues‚ such as the workplace. Theodore Roethke uses personification‚ long sentence structure‚ and formal diction in "Dolor" to show the anguish and loneliness of the everyday office routine in a bureaucratic society because it is as if the workers are the same‚ and have no voice. Personification of the offices and its supplies
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of Innisfree” and “Fire and Ice” explore the power of imagery in a way that allows the reader to mentally visualize the elements of the poem. “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke introduces two characters‚ a father and son‚ who seemingly have a violent relationship. Although there are many different images within the poem‚ Roethke focuses on one main image – the waltz. The narrator’s point of view in this poem is intertwined with what he remembers as an adult and with how he felt as a young boy
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Commentary ‘The Bat’ – Theodore Roethke: By day the bat is cousin to the mouse. He likes the attic of an aging house. His fingers make a hat about his head. His pulse beat is so slow we think him dead. He loops in crazy figures half the night Among the trees that face the corner light. But when he brushes up against a screen‚ We are afraid of what our eyes have seen: For something is amiss or out of place When mice with wings can wear a human face. Theodore Roethke’s poem ‘The Bat’
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