Theodore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” (999) Essay Example for Free

Theodore Roethke, â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† (999) Essay Theodore Roethke (1948) My Papas Waltz The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not simple. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mothers countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt. Summary A man recounts the childhood memories of his father coming home from work and dancing with him. They dance wildly; make a mess of the kitchen. Her mother does not approve. Next the father puts him to bed with the child tightly holding on to him. Paraphrase The smell of whisky on your mouth was strong enough to make a child like me giddy. However it did not stop me from keeping a tight grip on you as this type of rowdy dancing was not easy. We danced wildly till the utensils glide from the mantelpiece. My mother did not approve of our behavior and glared at us. The hand which supported my wrist had one knuckle tattered. Each time you put a wrong step, my right ear rubbed the hard surface of your belt. You hit me occasionally on my head with your palm which was covered with solid mud. Afterwards you dance me to my bed while I kept a firm hold on your shirt. Short Decision Part After reading the poem Theodore Roethke’s â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, for the second time I understood that the poem is a narration of the happy childhood memories of the author. The very title of the poem, â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz†, where the child mentions his father as ‘papa’ confirms the fact that the child has great affection for his father. The sentence ‘The whisky on your breath could mean that his father enjoys a drink before going to bed. The word ‘death’ means that the son enjoys but this rowdy dance is not easy so the son holds tightly to his father to avoid falling. When their wild dance made the kitchen untidy, his mother only frowned. Her silence shows that it is just a harmless dance between father and son. The sentence ‘You beat time on my head’ means that his father affectionately beat on his head with the rhythm of the dance.   I think that the last two lines, where the child tells that the father dancingly moved towards the his bed and put him to sleep, yet the child does not loosen his hold on his father’s shirt confirms that there is great and love and affection between the father and son. Reference Theodore Roethke, My Papas Waltz. 3 October 2007. http://gawow.com/roethke/poems/43.html