BY: Theodore Roethke By: James Suttmiller My Papa’s Waltz BY: Theodore Roethke By: James Suttmiller

Background Information Theodore Roethke finest poem evoke the plant and insect life Troubled through adulthood like mental instability and alcoholism, he often dwells on his psyches vulnerability He also shows a deft comic touch in treating familial and erotic relationships He had conflicted relationship with his father, he feared and loved him at the same time His dad and uncle worked hard and long in a greenhouse Roethke father died when he was 15 and traumatized his life

The Poem The whiskey on your breath  A   Could make a small boy dizzy;   B But I hung on like death: A   Such waltzing was not easy. B   We romped until the pans  C  Slid from the kitchen shelf; D   My mother’s countenance   C Could not unfrown itself. D The hand that held my wrist E Was battered on one knuckle; F At every step you missed E My right ear scraped a buckle. F You beat time on my head G With a palm caked hard by dirt, H Then waltzed me off to bed G Still clinging to your shirt. H 4 stanzas 16 lines Ballad

Literary Achievement Legendary teacher at the university of Washington Hi poem The Far-Field won the 1964 National Book Award Why was the poem written like this? So every line has a new image and a word that rhymes witch helps get the point across faster on what the boys life is like.

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death:    Such waltzing was not easy.   We romped until the pans    Slid from the kitchen shelf;    My mother’s 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. speaker Sounds to be a small, young boy that loves his papa The kid has lots of energy The kid seems to love his papa and wants to stay by his side like he is glued to him The kid gets in trouble a lot but id very forgiving because he never stops wanting to be with his papa Authors purpose Theodore respected his father very much and would play out side with his dad as he worked and when his dad died when he was 15 he lost control of his life. The fact he was so close to his dad explains why he would not let go. His dad would work all day and worked in a green house witch explains the hands caked hard by dirt. So Theodore most likely wrote this after his dad died because he said that he hung on like death because he wished he could spend more time with him.

Imagery “we romped around until the pans slide from the kitchen shelf” “But I hung on like death.” “we romped around until the pans slide from the kitchen shelf” this means that the boy would not leave his pap’s side. This means they would play around until something broke and they made a lot of noise and vibration.

Imagery “The hand that held my wrist” “ Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt” This is explaining that the boy is getting stopped and grabbed by the wrist and is about to get hit This shows the reader even after the discipline the kid just received he still loves his papa and wants to be with him.

Stanza 1 poetic terms The whiskey on your breath Waltzing: a ball room dance (one step pre beat) The whiskey on your breath    Could make a small boy dizzy;    But I hung on like death:    Such waltzing was not easy. Metaphor: “hung on like death” means never let go. Personification: death can not hang on to any thing it is not living. Imagery: “whiskey on your breath” and “hung on like death” show the reader that the papa has a drinking problem but the boy still loves him. Rhyme: breath and death rhyme/dizzy and easy rhyme

Unfrown: turn a frown to a smile, be happy, not angry Stanza 2 poetic terms We romped until the pans    Slid from the kitchen shelf;    My mother’s countenance    Could not unfrown itself. Imagery: they made a lot of noise and raucous in the kitchen witch caused the pans to fall and they boys mother to get mad. Rhyme: shelf and itself. Countenance: appearance, especialy the look on the face.

Stanza 3 poetic terms The hand that held my wrist    Was battered on one knuckle;    At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. Imagery: the boy was held on the wrist and was hit with a buckle for discipline. Rhyme: wrist and missed/ knuckle and buckle.

Stanza 4 poetic terms You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt,    Then waltzed me off to bed    Still clinging to your shirt. Imagery: the boy/ speakers father beat him then sent him off to bed but the boy still loves his papa and stays by his side . Rhyme: head and bed/ dirt and shirt. Metaphor: “ with a palm caked hard by dirt” he must work out side a lot because his hands are dirty. Repetition: waltzed( used before) Personification:“ you beat time on my head” you cant touch or even feel time so it is a saying.

My papa’s waltz Figurative meaning Literal meaning The boy loves his drinking papa and loves to play around with him even after he gets done punishing him. The meaning of the poem is to show that family might have problems (like drinking or abuse) but you can’t let go of them and stop loving them because they are your family. Even if they have to discipline you they still love you and you still love them and you should not let go of them just because they yell at you. Theme: A wild kid can get disciplined but still love his father and stay by his side even throw the thick.

Sites used www.shmoop.com Poetryoutloud.org http://digitalcrowsnest.wordpress.com/ 2013/05/18/conclusion-of-my-papas- waltz-by-theodore-roethke/ http://dr-myri- blog.blogspot.com/2012/11/random- thoughts-on-wrist-grabbing.html https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j &q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rj a&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2 F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fmen%2Frel ationships%2Ffatherhood%2F10882270%2F Are-fathers-better-at-bedtime-stories- than- mothers.html&ei=4IluVJWGDozGsQSR3YG IDQ&bvm=bv.80185997,d.cWc&psig=AFQj CNGM04WFhn3rRTNZHp7wMPLYKy2Faw&u st=1416616762754508