My Papa’s Waltz - By Theodore Roethke

My Papa’s Waltz
- By Theodore Roethke
Presentation by: Kylie Love, Erin Wolff, and Zoe Zimmerman
Thesis
In his poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke, through
the use of metaphor, rhyme scheme, and paradoxical diction,
argues that while abuse causes pain and suffering, along with
the fear comes admiration of the abuser.
Tone
Ominous
Forgiving
“But I hung on like death” (3)
You beat time on my head
“You beat time on my head” (13)
With a palm caked hard by dirt
Reflective
Then waltzed me off to bed
“The whiskey on your breath
Still clinging to your shirt (13-16)
Could make a small boy dizzy” (1-2)
“Such waltzing was not easy” (4)
1.Extended Metaphor
The entire poem can be read as a metaphorical
euphemism. “Waltzing” is in reality, child abuse.
Effects of Metaphor
The metaphorical “waltzing”, a beautiful controlled dance with
falls and rises, is used to disguise child abuse which in turn
contributes to the poem’s disturbing tone by associating
perceived affection with obvious violence.
Metaphor Examples:
“The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle,” -(Line
“You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,” -(Line
13-14)
9-10)
“At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle,” -(Line 11-12)
2. Rhyme Scheme and Meter
The overall rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB and
the meter is a iambic trimeter.
So What: The musicality of the poem contrasts with
the darker content, revealing that the outside facade
doesn’t match the inside truth.
Examples of Rhyme Scheme and Meter
The whiskey on your breath
The hand that held my wrist
Could make a small boy dizzy
Was batt/ered on one knuckle
But I hung on like death
(Line 9-10)
Such waltzing was not easy
(Line 1-4)
3. Paradoxical diction
The diction illustrates love v. fear/pain of father
“Hung on like death” (3)
“We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (5-6)
“My right ear scraped” (12)
“Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt” (15-16)
The diction makes the poem lighter, though the topic is very serious. The paradox
creates the theme that the small boy who was abused, though he feared his
father, still loved him despite the pain he caused.