Poetry is made to express the thoughts and emotions of the poet. One may share the same feelings or they can interpret the poem however they wish. Many

are undecided about the theme of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz." Some people tend to believe that the poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and

son. I believe that the more convincing interpretation is that it has a hidden message of

parental abuse. Careful analysis of the keywords and each individual stanza back up

this theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father.

The word that is key to the poem is romp. Roethke states that "we romped until

the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf" (832). The word is usually associated with

happy, rambunctious, and energetic running around or dancing. A second definition is

rough, lively play. Alcohol would cause a person to act in such a harsh manner. In

(832). This shows that the boy's mother seems to be in a state of dismay as her

husband carries on his behavior. Her frown also indicates that his actions sadden her

viewed as a dominating and overpowering force to a small child. The younger son

between a father and his child. But through careful reading, I found that interpretation

would not use such a strong description. In lines 11 and 12 the boy states that "At

could not possible fight back to his bigger father especially with the added influence of

with the belt buckle. This is not the first time this type of abuse has taken place. I got

interpreted this line to say "you have beat me time and time again."

because the waltz is not easy for him. Later in that stanza he states that he "hung on

Some common words found in the essay are:
Papa's Waltz, Waltz Roethke, Waltz Poetry, heavily drunken, papa's waltz,
Approximate Word count = 639
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)