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

2. 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

3. 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

4. Literary Achievement Legendary teacher at the university of Washington
Hi poem The Far-Field won the 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. Sites used www.shmoop.com Poetryoutloud.org
2013/05/18/conclusion-of-my-papas- waltz-by-theodore-roethke/
blog.blogspot.com/2012/11/random- thoughts-on-wrist-grabbing.html
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