My Papa

A detailed Summary of My Papa


In Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz," the author presents to the reader his childhood experience. In the poem, he relates his relationship with his father to a "waltz." The author's childhood unfolds as the "waltz" is performed. In this performance, the diction the author uses allows the reader to have many perspectives of the poem. Throughout the work, the author employs vague words to describe his upbringing. Thus, Roethke makes it difficult for the reader to establish a concrete tone of his feelings toward his childhood. As a result, the reader's perspective of the author's adolescence may vary depending on how the word usage and rhyme scheme is interpreted.

There are several illustrations throughout the poem that show the author's use of ambiguous words. For example, the reader may interpret the vague word choice in an optimistic manner; thus establishing the author's adolescence to be a positive experience. The title "My Papa's Waltz" implies that Roethke is reminiscing of the joyous time he and his father had dancing together. In the first stanza, the young boy says, "Such waltzing was not easy," the author implies that he is having a difficult time keeping up with his fathers dance steps (4). Later, the mother is


becoming upset because the boy and his father "romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf" which causes a ruckus in her house (5-6). Hence the reader may perceive that the boy and his father are having fun. Furthermore, the dancing scene becomes intense, and the boy is unable to keep up with his father and begins to trip as his "right ear scrape[s] a buckle" (12). When the father "waltz[s] [the boy] off to bed / Still clinging to [his] shirt," the boy views this "waltzing" episode as one of his fondest memories of his father. Thus, the boy appears to have a close and pleasurable relationship with his dad.



Some common words found in the essay are:
Papa's Waltz, Throughout Roethke's, Hents Roethke, boy father, Theodore Roethke's, rhyme scheme, Bedford/St Martin1999, buckle 12, relationship father, word choice, indistinct tone, author relates, waltzing easy, author's adolescence, papa's waltz,

Approximate Word count = 811
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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