Analysis of "my Papa's Waltz" by Roethe

When I first read the poem "My Papa's Waltz", it reminded me of a violent relationship

between a father and a son. The author uses the elements of poetry to illustrate the dynamic

relationship between him and his father. He includes the the abuse by his father and his

mother's discern for what is happening to him. The author, Thoedore Roethe, portrays the

memories of abuse from his father during his drunken episodes and illustrates how violent

they are by comparing it to a dance.

The author immediately choses to show us the characters and important facts of the

poem that are essential to the story line: "The whiskey on your breath / Could make a small

boy dizzy". (1-2) The first two lines set the mood for the entire poem. It showcases the

contributing factors that make you feel sorry for the small boy, hatred for the father. It also

shows the strength of the small boy and how he compares it to a dance: "But I hung on like

death / Such waltzing was not easy". (3-4) As violent as this poem appears to me, a waltz is

not the best way to describe what is happening.

As we continue through the poem, the author further explains the destruction that

happens during what he describes as a waltz: "We romped until the pans / slid from the

kitchen shelf" (5-6). Romping through the kitchen is another way to show the dance as he

did in the beginning of the poem. The final character in the poem is reviled during the last 2

lines in the second stanza: My mother's countenance / Could not unfrown itself." (7-8) We

also learned that his mother show discern for what is happening to him. Making it appear as

though the mother is afraid of the father because it was clear she did not agree with it but

refused to stop it.

In lines nine and ten, the author begins by showing the audience how the father is

showing signs of the abuse: "The hand that held my wrist / Was battered on one knuckle" (9-

10). His knuckles are scratched and bleeding. No, the author does not specifically tell us his

hands are bleeding but instead makes a clear reference to it by using the word battered. The

next section, which include lines eleven through thirteen, the author gives us a glimpse into

the