Love or Abuse? That is the Question Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” tells the reader of a small boy’s memory of his father. It explains how his father is intoxicated and the scene that goes along with it. Roethke’s style in this poem leaves the reader with the task of determining if he speaks of abuse or a happy reminiscence. Critics describe it as being a “mixture of tenderness and brutality” (Malkoff). In the first two lines‚ he recounts the smell of his father’s breath. Roethke’s use
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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 the poem starts in
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reading “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke‚ one might infer a violent commotion between a father and son. However‚ if read closely‚ a reader will notice that the boy hung onto his father throughout the entirety of the waltz despite becoming “dizzy” (line 2)‚ and “scrapped” (line 12). In fact‚ in this poem‚ the narrator is reflecting upon a joyful memory he had with his father. Firstly‚ if a person were to dissect the title of the poem‚ “My Papa’s Waltz‚” they would discover that “Papa” is a term
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Any interpretation of “My Papa’s Waltz” has to take into account the complexity of the speaker’s feelings that are brought about by his father’s waltz. A dance should bring two people closer together. The dance in this poem acts that way‚ yet the darker side of this waltz‚ which is a powerfully unsettling emotion under the surface of this poem‚ dominates the mood‚ and the love and intimacy of the dance do not make a strong impression on the reader. Theodore Roethke manipulates our emotional response
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poems "My Father’s Song‚" by Simon J. Ortiz‚ and "My Papa’s Waltz‚" by Theodore Roethke‚ are two similar poems written about a father and child relationship. The two poems are spoken from the child’s point of view during a memorable event. As well as their similarities‚ these two poems have their differences. Although both poems concern the relationship between a father and his son‚ they differ on tone‚ imagery‚ and figurative language. In "My Father’s Song‚" the main tone is nostalgia. "My Papa’s
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Upon reading Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” one would think the poem entirely talks about the dance and how it was special and memorable to the speaker just by the title. However‚ this ‘waltz’ is interpreted many different ways in the poem. The poem starts off describing the speaker’s presumed father’s smell of “whiskey on your breath” to show that he was drinking heavily (Roethke 1). This smell can also be described as quite strong because of the fact that it “could make a small boy dizzy” (2). This
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The poem "My Papa’s Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a moving representation of childhood spent in a working middle class family. The speaker of this poem is a man recalling his childhood‚ his father and his mother through the means of a waltz. The following essay will present a detailed analysis of the dramatic situation and speaker through the explanations of the various poetic tools used in this poem such as similes‚ choice of words and style. Theodore Roethke portrays the father figure
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Thesis 1 When first reading “My Papa’s Waltz” I got the impression of an abusive household where the father beats the son and the mother stands idly by allowing this to happen. After a couple more reads I saw the humor of the words explaining a clumsy waltz between a father and son. There are satiric words used leading many to believe that the son is being abused‚ but there are also contradictions in those words which leads in a different direction. My final direction is that the father is abusing
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1. Describe how circadian rhythms are associated with sleep deprivation. 2. Explain the results of the sleep deprivation assessment. 3. Do you agree‚ or disagree‚ with the results. Why‚ or why not? 4. If you are sleep deprived‚ what steps could you take to get more or better quality of sleep? Alternatively‚ if you are not sleep deprived‚ what techniques allow you to get quality sleep most nights of the week? Circadian rhythms: Their role and dysfunction in affective disorder Press
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In the poem‚ My Papa’s Waltz‚ Theodore Roethke talks about a young boy’s relationship with his father. I think that the poem talks about how the young boy loves his father but their relationship is strained. I also think that the young boy fears that his father will drink himself to death. There is a lot of imagery in this poem. There are descriptions like‚ “we romped around until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf. There is imagery in every stanza. Roethke uses great word choice too. It is imperative
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