Effect of Voice in Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” there is many terms to suggest that this poem is dark and scary. However, I will discuss how this poem is actually humorous and seen through the eyes of a boy who loved his father. I will show that through the tone of his voice Roethke was reliving a loving childhood memory. This poem is about love for a father, and how the boy remembered his father through a wonderful childhood memory and used his voice to convey such love. My first example of how this boy loved his father is found in the verse “But I hung on like death” (3).
Confirmation to support this is when David reveals "did I wonder what might happen if I killed my uncle". David managed to see some good in people including his father. Watson demonstrates the life of David Hayden growing up, and realizing later what a great role model he had in his father. David saw his father as a weak man and he thought his perfect role model was Frank, which is seen as he said "not manly figure like uncle Frank". He felt let down in his father, as he didn't arrest anyone or carry a gun, "And that disappointed me at times".
The first time a child leaves home is an important milestone in every family. This principle applies to even families belonging to the nobility in the mid-eighteenth century. In Lord Chesterfield’s letter to his son, he voices many opinions about him that many parents would like to say to their children even today. Lord Chesterfield skillfully uses subliminal messages in diction, humble concessions, contradictory language, indirect threats, and demoralizing lectures to impose his values on his insubordinate son. It is clear to the reader that his son takes his father for granted and the letter is a last-ditch effort by Lord Chesterfield to help him.
The Father could be mistaken as a drunk or abusive, Due to lines such as “ The Whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy.” (1-2) But is later affirmed to be the opposite with the young boy telling us “I hung on like death.” (3) Allowing us to know he doesn’t in fact want to let go. This is not in fear for his life which the word “death implies” but it is caused by the young boy wanting to continue and have fun with his father. As each stanza progresses we can further see the unconditional love between Father and Son. The young boy’s feelings and love for his father can be better illustrated by Theodore Roethke’s imagery, when we read more in depth; Roethke shows us a young boy having a joyous time wile trying to avoid being put to bed in My Papa’s Waltz. We can begin to better understand this relationship by digging deeper into the poem itself and examining each stanza, line and even word.
Hamlet is presented as a devoted son to the memory of his father, King Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, the audience recognizes Hamlet’s difficulty to except his father’s death. This is because of great amount of love, respect and admiration he has for his father as well as the disgust he has towards the hasty marriage of his mother and his uncle. One example that shows Hamlet’s loyalty to his father is in the beginning of the play when he is the only one still in mourning. Because his loyalty to his father is so strong, he continues to mourn his father even though his uncle and his mother have already persuaded the court as well as the kingdom to embrace the new reign.
William Faulkner received the O. Henry award for the year’s best work of short fiction. In William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning,” the main character is Colonel Sartoris Snopes or “Sarty” for short. This young boy is torn between loyalty to his father and morality, and this story deals with that struggle. Sarty is a “round” character, changing through the story as he moves from “sticking to his own blood” to thinking more of himself and his own welfare. At first, he is extremely loyal to his father, as we see with most young boys they think their fathers can do no wrong, they place them on a pedestal and look up to them.
This is discovered when the patriarch, Julian Hayden, says to his son Wesley “Ever since the war…Ever since Frank came home in a uniform and you stayed home, you’ve been jealous” (118). This favoritism shows what little respect Julian holds for his younger son that stems from Franks dominance between the Hayden siblings. Wes is constantly put down because of his brother’s achievements; these situations can either make or break Wesley. In all families, there is a member who thrives on ‘power trips’, and in this specific situation, it was Julian, “He wanted, he needed, power…he was a dominating man who drew sustenance and strength from controlling others” (20). Julian acquires his power through putting others down, especially Wes; this causes Wesley to have a lot of animosity towards his father.
Because of his position rather than his brother’s, he experiences jealousy and is a victim of favoritism. His brother is a veteran, and to his father this means a lot. This meant that Frank could get away with everything while Wes was scolded. Wes reveals this jealousy when he says, “I wonder if he was supposed to stay at the hospital.”(p.36) When Wes
Whereas, Armitage shows a son who finds it harder to describe his feelings for his father, and shows it by using an extended metaphor of a harmonium, in order to show the reader all the memories he has had because of his father, and how he loves him. The way his father jokes about his own death is an example of the stereotypical father and son relationship; not as open about feelings. ...read
A poem with short or few stanzas leaves “a lot of white space” on the page, Roethke wrote, but that forces “those lines to stand up by themselves” (Kizer 6). The first line, “The whiskey on your breath,” would imply the father was an alcoholic. In my point of view, the imagery, language and symbolism used, point to the love between the father and son. In line 3, “but I hung on like death”, I believe the boy is holding on not because of fear but because he didn’t want to fall off while dancing with his father. I believe this boy looked forward to his father coming home from work; it was the highlight of his day.