The In-Depth Analysis of My Papa’s Waltz Poem, written by Theodore Roethke
Have you ever read the poetry of Theodore Roethke? This is a well-known American poet, who is deemed to be the most influential person of his generation. The main characteristics features of his works are rhythm, introspection and natural imagery. In this essay, we’ll bandy about My Papa’s Waltz analysis and decide what the author wanted to tell by this short poem. Besides, we’ll analyze My Papa’s Waltz symbolism because this poem has a deeper meaning than it seems to be at first gaze.
To make My Papa’s Waltz literary analysis isn’t easy because this poem has hidden overtones. At first gaze, it seems to be that the author describes a passionate couple, dancing around the house. Yet still, this is not true, because in some ways this poem is autobiographical. This short poem is a vivid description of relationships between his father and the author. My Papa’s Waltz figurative language is full of various symbols that are difficult to understand for an ordinary reader.
Just to read the poem is not enough (if you want to understand the real meaning), you ought to read My Papa’s Waltz analysis. We see that the poem begins with the scene of dancing. Theodore’s father picks his son up, and both, a man and a small boy, waltz around the house. Taking a look at the biography of the author, we see that his father suffered from alcohol addiction. The author saw his father drunk more often than straight; such behavior influenced the life of Theodore.
Having read the first stanza, we see a vivid description of a little boy, dancing with his bibacious father. The man was so drunk that his snake breath can make drunk everyone around. A small boy adores his father but at the same time, he is afraid of being dropped.
When we read the next stanzas, we see that the waltz is moving to the kitchen where they knocked all pans from the kitchen shelves. The last stanza is devoted to the description of the father’s “beating time” on the head of a small boy. In sober fact, it is difficult to understand what it means. Thus, we can say that a My Papa’s Waltz metaphor is difficult to understand. Such waltzes were not easy for the author because he didn’t know what to expect from his glassy-eyed father. At the same time, we see that his mother also witnessed the episode but she couldn’t do anything and was standing on the other side.
When we continue reading, we see that in the course of a dance a small boy injured his ear (he scraped it against the dad’s belt buckle). This is a bright example of My Papa’s Waltz personification. The author tries to explain that the small boy doesn’t like such father’s tricks. In sober fact, such waltzes happened on an ongoing basis and he was afraid of them. A man was drunk and couldn’t control his behavior.
Reading this poem, we see that the speaker loves his father but at the same time, he is afraid of him.
The main My Papa’s Waltz theme is to give the audience a chance to understand that such behavior of fathers isn’t normal. At first gaze, these are just childhood memories but at the same time, this is an author’s message to the audience – love your kids and don’t abuse them.
My Papa’s Waltz analysis helps understand the main meaning of this poem because, at first gaze, the audience thinks that the author wants to reveal anything else. This short poem was included in the book The Lost Son. Regardless of the fact that his father wasn’t the best one, Theodore loved him. A little boy was depressed after his death. Lots of poems written by this author comprise the childhood memories and this one is just one more memory of the author.
References:
- https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/poem-my-papas-waltz-how-might-setting-by-symbolic-437286
- https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/my-papas-waltz
Disclaimer:
This essay is just an example; you can’t copy it or pass as your personal work. If you need a similar essay, you ought to write it by yourself or find analysis essay writing help (writers who can do this assignment for you). Remember, sooner or later plagiarized essays or papers are revealed and students can be punished!
