Theodore Roethke Group

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normaher
normaher

What is the meaning of "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke?

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Posted by normaher on Friday July 31, 2009 at 9:58 PM and tagged with ambiguity, meaning, my papa's waltz, theme, tone.

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  1. rowens Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    "My Papa's Waltz" is an intriguing poem, partly because of its ambiguity. It can be read as both a story of a child terrorized by and abusive father and a child having a playful romp with his daddy before bedtime.

    Whenever my students read this work, they initially disagree on which interpretation is more correct. One must consider the diction (or word choice) very carefully when deciding how to read this work.

    A good mnemonic device (or memory trick) for analyzing poetry is the TPCASTT system.

    Title: Ponder the title before reading the poem

    Paraphrase: Translate the poem into your own words

    Connotation: Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal level

    Attitude: Observe both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitude (tone).

    Shifts: Note shifts in speakers and attitudes or form

    Title: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level

    Theme: Determine what the poet is saying

    After looking at all of these aspects of the poem, most come to read it as a boy's recollection of his father's playful rough-housing--perhaps a bit too roughly after a few drinks, but not in anger. The word "romped" indicates a playful nature, despite boys scraping against his father's buckle or the mother's stern frowning at the pots and pans being knocked out of place. And the last two lines, "Then waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt," show that the boy was enjoying the staggering dance, since he still clings to his father when it is over.

    It's important when reading ambiguous poems that you carefully weigh all the possible interpretations before deciding what they mean to you.

    For more in depth discussion of "My Papa's Waltz" check the links below. The one to from enotes Salem on Literature series has some information about Roethke's relationship with his own father that might have influenced his writing of this poem.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/my-papas-waltz-salem/my-papas-waltz
    http://www.suite101.com/blog/lsgrimes/misreading_my_papas...

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    Posted by rowens on Friday July 31, 2009 at 10:41 PM