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 The poem‚ "My Papa ’s Waltz"‚ written by Theodore Roethke‚ is written in such a way that
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The memory described in "My Papa’s Waltz" is mostly positive. The poem is about a specific type of dance‚ which is established thrice: by the title as well as lines 4 and 15. The father waltzed with his child at bedtime‚ a spirited attempt to bring elegance into a humble home. Waltzing is often associated with royalty‚ emperors dancing in palaces to the music of Johann Strauss II‚ good living! The verb "romped" in the second stanza is strong evidence that this was a playful activity for both father
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My Papa’s Waltz 1. What is the tone of the speaker’s opening description of his father? What is the tone of the phrases “Like death” and “such waltzing”? He describe his father as a drunk. When he said like death‚ he describe how strong he was to put up with his dad. And when he said such waltzing‚ he describe how difficult was this dance. He speak as a mature guy. 2. What is the “waltz” the speaker describes? What is the tone of his words describing it in lines 5-15? I guess that even if his
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Hills 1 Beverly Hills Jordan Simpson English 101 25 July 2013 A Memory of a Lifetime The poem‚ “My Papa’s Waltz‚” by Theodore Roethke is about a childhood memory written later in the adult narrator’s lifetime with his father. This poem reveals the relationship between the narrator and his father when they were waltzing about the room when he was still a small boy. This poem creates what appears to be
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Interpretation of “My Papa’s Wallet” “My Papa’s Waltz” was written by Theodore Roethke‚ which is a stanza poem with 16 lines. The narrator of the poem seems to be a young child speaking about an experience with his drunken father. In this poem the father came home after a night of drinking. As the father enters the house he grabs the child by the wrist with his battered knuckles‚ which indicates that he works with his hands. Playfully knocking down the pans‚ the mother irritated gives them an
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The author of My Papa’s Waltz‚ Theodore Roethke‚ portrays the speaker of the poem’s childhood in a surprisingly dark‚ negative tone. At first glance‚ it appears to be an innocent story of a child who dances around one night with his silly‚ happily drunken father. However‚ a close reading and analysis of the poem will show that this is not the case. For example‚ the line “You beat time on my head” refers to the child being hit and smacked. This line has a very negative connotation when it is fully
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As I listened to “My Papa’s Waltz” being read aloud I felt a connection to it; a connection that I did not feel when I read it to myself. When I heard the poem aloud I was able to connect it my own life and the drunken “waltz” of a hard working father taking his son to bed. The performance added to the poem because it brought the words to life. I am a hearing learner so listen to the poem made it easier for me to comprehend it. However the performance did not change my perception of the poem
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Theodore Roethke wrote the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” which reflects on his childhood memories of his father carrying him to bed. He reminisces about a past memory of him clinging to his father while walking through the house in a drunken state. He remembers how the voluminous smell of whiskey on his father’s breath could make him dizzy. How his father would accidently knock the pans until they fell off the kitchen shelf still lingers in his memory. He recalls his ear being scraped against his father’s
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the same. We can all be similar but we all have our own beliefs. Yet at the end of the day it is not about putting others down for their beliefs but about listening to them and really trying to understand where they are coming from. Nowadays people already have a preconceived notion in their head about what they think is best. We are all stubborn and judgmental towards other peoples’ views and outlooks. I have been guilty of judging others until my cousin become depressed and bisexual. My family has
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"My Papa’s Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a four quatrain poem written in iambic trimeter. The rhyme scheme present is abab‚ cdcd‚ efef‚ and ghgh. In the poem‚ the son is remembering a time when his father‚ who was excessively drunk at the time‚ carrying him through the kitchen off to bed. It was a rough‚ almost abusive‚ journey though because his father‚ who is already drunkenly waltzing him‚ is probably not used to handling things with care at work since his hands are described as "caked hard by
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