A Reader

A detailed Summary of A Reader


A Reader's Reaction to "My Papa's Waltz"

The poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke is a "two tone" piece full of ambiguity. When readers approach this work they will arrive at one of two possible conclusions-that this is an adult's reflection of a memorable and joyous moment with his father or an unsettling description of child abuse, using waltzing as a metaphor.

On the lighter side, the first conclusion is of a sweet memory, which has evidence throughout the poem. The title "My Papa's Waltz" gives a lighter tone to the piece. The word "Papa" is a warm and affectionate word for father. Also, "waltz" is considered a more "elegant" form of dancing, which is giving the poem a softer appeal. The adult remembers that his Papa had smelt of whiskey while trying to teach him how to dance. When waltzing, the individual recalls that they "[...] romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf"


On the dark side, each piece of evidence that supports the first conclusion is refuted in various other lines. "The whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy" (lines 1-2) depicts a drunken father whose breath is causing his small boy to become dizzy. The child hangs "[...] on like death," (line 3) casts a shadow over the piece. The reader sees the child resembling death rather than life, possibly because he is being beaten to death. The fact that they "romped" so hard that pans were falling suggests an aggressive act is taking place. The mother is watching the event with a frown on her face; one would assume if this was a joyous moment the mother would not be disapproving. The father is holding the child by the wrist instead of by the hand like common waltzing would be done. This suggests the child is being restrained rather than partaking in a mutual activity. The child also states, "T

Some common words found in the essay are:
Papa's Waltz, Theodore Roethke, papa's waltz, tone piece, negative positive, individual recalls, adjective describe, boy dizzy, joyous moment,

Approximate Word count = 613
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • The Reader The Reader Websteramp39s dictionary defines the word relationship as the connections between or among other people. Life is filled with ... 1314 words
  • The Trust of a Reader The Trust of a Reader Although ampquotA Rose for Emily,ampquot by William Faulkner and ampquotA Tell Tale Heart,ampquot by Edgar Allan Poe are both similar in that they tell a story ... 598 words
  • The Mind Reader The Mind Reader The main character of ampquotThe Mind Readerampquot is Ellie Anderson. Ellie see visions, of the future and of the past. She ... 2205 words
  • Guilt and Shame in the Reader Sebastian Hinds Mr. La Bonne EHRS/pd0 4/8 Guilt and Shame in amp39The Readeramp39 The Holocaust was a tragic event in history which took the lives of many people, and ... 1854 words
  • Reader response How Bill Clinton Cures Homelessness Response The news has become one of the most political phenomenas there exists today and this article of ampquotHow Bill Clinton ... 949 words

Professional Essays

  • The Accelerated Reader Developed by Renaissance Learning, the Accelerated Reader AR program has become widely used in schools as a literacy tool for encouraging students to read ... 1536 words
  • Responding as a Reader Chapter I Responding as a Reader Introduction The encounter between a reader and a written text, be it fiction or nonfiction, is invariably shaped by many ... 9995 words
  • The Reader Bernhard Schlink In the novel The Reader, author Bernhard Schlink explores the issue of German guilt for the Holocaust and how that guilt affects subsequent generations who ask ... 834 words
  • Several Short Stories ampamp Reader Empathy ... boundaries is not a story with details that mirror the experiences of readers but characters with characteristics recognizable by the reader and with which the ... 1453 words
  • Archibald MacLeishamp39s poem ampquotArs Poeticaampquot l ... By writing this poem, MacLeish aims to remind the reader that a poem is a living entity, not something to study for a test or paper, not something to tear ... 1823 words
  • Baudelaireamp39s poem ampquotDestructionampquot ... obvious. Certainly a final phrase such as ampquotAll Destructionamp39s bloody bag of tricksampquot Baudelaire 121 is designed to shock the reader. ... 1642 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.