Poem May 12, 2014. ENG125: Introduction to Literature Instructor: Heather Auger “My Papa’s Waltz” was the poem narrative Theodore Roethke made very interesting. This reading was fascinating poem. It really allowed the reader to engage with the emotion and interpretation. There will be several elements I will identify with and show how the literacy works.
Trine 1 Rebekah Trine Professor Rosecliffe English 105 T. Th. 22 October 2011 A Father's Love In numerous ways the poems “My Papa's Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden are very similar. Both are written from a young boy's point of view and elaborate on the relationships these two have with their fathers. They also tell of the way their fathers show their love toward them and describe their interactions, or lack thereof. There are great differences in these poems as the relationships, and interactions are described and further exploration can be done in examining the tone, diction and imagery both poems display.
This is imitated by the right hand playing the melody and the left hand playing the bass and rhythm. Lewis was truly a master of this technique. Soon he was playing at house parties and hanging out with his idol Jimmy Yancey. In 1927, Lewis recorded “Honky Tonk Train Blues” for Paramount records. Unfortunately,
I Will Always Dance With You April Strausser ENG 125 Katie Newbanks February 15, 2012 In Theodore Roethke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz,” there are details that give us a little insight into all three of the characters. If one pays close enough attention they can pick out the few important descriptions offered. An encounter with an abusive father is the first interpretation likely made by readers and students; or at least seems to be the common one as of late. At first glance that was the interpretation that came to mind for me. However, I read and reread this several more times, and then went looking for more information before deciding on a final interpretation and analyzing the poem “My Papa’s Waltz.” The author of My Papa’s Waltz,
His dad was a businessman, a bookstore owner and did not encourage Leonard’s music passion, but still he took Leonard to orchestra concerts when he was a teenager. Later Samuel fully supported his son by getting him formally trained in music. Leonard loved music ever since he was young, especially the piano, and started teaching himself on a hand me down piano from his cousin. At a young age for his sister, he “would often play entire operas or Beethoven symphonies” (Leonard Berstein, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). At age seventeen, he started studying music at Harvard University where he published his first known musical score for the play “The Birds” by Aristophanes (Leonard Berstein, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Lisa Reddick HIST 1302-2401 12/30/11 Lesson 10, Enrichment Idea 2 In 1866 on a warm May evening in Pulaski, TN, six long-time friends passed the time drinking whisky and telling stories in the law office of John Lester. Finally the talk turned toward the perceived “ills” of their southern society and what they, as good southern gentlemen, should do about these problems. Lester suggested they should form a club or society, and then two of the men volunteered a name. “Kuldos”, the Greek word for “circle” or “band” was the name suggested. This wasn’t considered “ominous” enough so a variation was invented – Ku Klux Klan (Bartoletti).
Through the use of word choice, Theodore Roethke allows readers to interpret the meaning of the 'waltz' into either domestic abuse, or a childhood memory in “My Papa's Waltz”. Depending on which side of the fence people sit, “My Papa's Waltz” can be very dark, or a very touching piece. Roethke decided to make the father's drinking the first fact to be conveyed. Some see the poem as a sweet memory, to prove this they bring up the time period that the poem was written in, “during 1948 whiskey on a man's breath was not negative but part of culture for the working class”(Goodwin). This finding is worth little to people these days as drinking is more abused now and in many instances this over drinking often leads to domestic abuse.
Adolescent Love Pamela Sanders ENG 125 Prof. Mary Louise Phillips Becker December 19, 2011 Adolescent Love Poetry is basically what poet’s see and experience in life. In order to respond to poetry the reader must experience or connect with the emotion that the author displays in a poem. The poem “Oranges” by Gary Soto displays elements of symbolism, imagery, and tone that were engaging for me as a reader to be interested in this poem. These elements are what create focus for the young adolescent love in this poem. What drew me in to this particular poem is that the boy had a first time experience with a girl and first time experiences usually stick with a person.
Careful analysis of each individual stanza backs up the theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father. This can be shown through multiple literary devices used by Roethke throughout the poem, such as imagery, simile, symbolism, and rhyme. In the first stanza Roethke starts of the poem using various literary devices. It is also where Roethke establishes a deeper meaning to his father’s waltz. In the first two lines of the stanza, he establishes that the characters father is an alcoholic based on the intense smell of whiskey on his breath.
Playful or Abusive “My Papa’s Waltz” can be read as both a story of a child terrorized by an abusive alcoholic father or as a child having a playful romp. The poem first published in 1948 is reflective of an era where many men worked jobs that required physical labor, i.e. manufacturing or farming. Theodore Roethke himself experienced this first hand growing up in Saginaw Valley working at the greenhouse his father and uncle managed. I believe this poem is reflective of Roethke’s difficult childhood.