My Papa's Waltz

The poem that I choose was by: Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz". Any interpretation of this poem has to take into account the difficulty of the speaker's feelings that are displayed by his father's waltz or dancing. In my eyes I would think that a dance would connect to people together. The waltz in this poem appears to be that way, yet the darker and sadder side of this waltz, which is an unsettling emotion beneath this poem, dominates the mood, and the love of the dance.

Roethke's memory of his relationship with his father was a complex memory for the author. This could have been a warm memory but there still could be some hidden emotions. The father was a drinker socially or possibly just an alcoholic. I think Roethke's point was to make the reader think, depending on what you think the complexity of the poem completely changes. I think the readers' opinion is based on their outlook on life. This is a very complex and wonderful poem to me.

Roethke's father was a drinker but he could have been a sipper, which meant that he perhaps had numerous bottles of alcoholic beverages in compartments and pots around his garden/nursery. To truly understand this poem may some facts about Theodore Roethke may enlighten your perspective on this poem. He lost his father at the age of 15 and this was an inspiration for writing. His family had their own green house where his papa (father) used to work.

In this poem he is nostalgic and remembering his father, when he was small his father used to come home and how he used to be in jolly. Roethke's father, uncle and grandfather worked with greenhouses, nature and growing things and this life has shaped his work, evidenced here in this simple poem. There are several tones throughout the work, love, tenderness and admiration, with a sense of fear.