Mrs. Geren
English 102-48
March 17, 2017
A Father and Son
After first reading and analyzing the poem titled "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke, a negative or positive feeling could be shaped. Because of a portion of the words in this poem, it is reasonable why this sort of response could be evoked. Basic speculation allows one to better comprehend what Roethke may truly mean. Throughout the poem, the rhyme scheme, mood, figurative language, the tone of the author, and the possible alternate interpretations of parts of the poem create a story about a young boy and his father in a loving voice.
In the beginning line of the ballad, "The whiskey on your breath" (1) is explaining enough to deliver a picture in one's brain of a man who is essentially wasted. The expressions of "Could make a small boy dizzy" (2) further portrays the solid intoxication of the man. It is regularly not in great taste when a drunk grown-up presents him or herself to a kid. The line could be deciphered as a description of a kid's understanding of mistreatment from his dad. "But I hung on like death" (3) appears to describe a youngster's unpleasant feeling from facing an …show more content…
In the line "We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf" (5-6), this could show how the mother dislikes the circumstance, for her son could get hurt and her kitchen is now a wreck. "The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle" (9-10) The word "battered" in this line portrays damaging circumstances. "At every step you missed / My right ear scraped a buckle" (11-12) Since the word buckle more than likely refers to a belt buckle, this thought could add to the situation of a father beating his kid with a belt. "You beat time on my head" (13). This line is a different type of line, using figurative language to lead the reader to believe the father is mishandling his