My Papa's Waltz Response

In Theodore Roethke's poem "My Papa's Waltz," he uses great imagery to portray him having fun with his father. In the poem he describes him and his father dancing around the house before bed one night. He also describes how he feels and how his relationship is with his father.

I like the poem "My Papa's Waltz" because it was written in a way that may be interpreted different ways which can cause controversy. I like how he talks about the whiskey on his father's breath, not because I think his father was a drunk but because many men will have a drink or two at night after a long day. Roethke causes controversy in his poem by talking about the whiskey on his father's breath, using the word death to describe him holding on, and also talking about a battered hand holding his wrist. I think that Roethke's father was probably from some European descent where the waltz was popular, and Theodore was taught by his father. I think that he "hung on like death" not because he was scared but because he was having fun and did not want to fall off his dad's feet. I like how he talks about the mother frowning because some people may take it as something bad is happening, but I think the mother is frowning because they are messing up the kitchen. I believe that the mother would react much differently if her son were being harmed in any way. It sounds like his father works long hours and the only time that he gets to spend with his father is at night. I like how he talks about him clinging to his fathers' shirt because this shows how he feels towards his father and that he did not want his father to leave him.

Bibliography

Roethke, Theodore. "The Bear." Literature: An introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 3rd Compact Ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2006.