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Comment 46 of 56, added on April 19th, 2006 at 9:24 PM.
in my opinion the view point of this child makes it easy to belive that this child could be a girl. It makes much more sense to believe that a girl would waltz around with her dad. When i first read it i thought it was about abuse but if you re-read it you can see how it would be more of a playful
Andrew Hall from United States
Comment 45 of 56, added on April 13th, 2006 at 7:34 PM.
I too first thought of this poem as a little boy being so happy to see his father and have a little play time before he went to bed. My first thought was not abuse, and I was surprised so many people saw it that way.
Traci from United States
Comment 44 of 56, added on April 11th, 2006 at 11:23 AM.
I have heard comments from the author from professors that he was very upset that anyone would get the picture of abuse out to the poem. I know at frist that that is what I saw because that is what I was taught that it was about abuse. Then in another class we discussed it and the prof argued that it was about rouh housing after a hard days work and yes were the father was a little drunk, it was probably just him hanging out with his buddies before coming home. THe mother in the background that is mentioned is more then likely upset becuase she was trying to put her son to bed when the dad comes in late and starts to get him hipper again. Plus she now has to clean up her kitchen because they are knocking thins down. The dad watlzing the son of to his bed and the kid hanging on to his shirt is because he does not want to go to bed he wants to stay up adn hangout with his dad who he hasn't seen all day because he's been at work.
It's nice to hear people's opinions on the poem, it's just sad that some people go straight to abuse before they go to the love a son for his father and visa versa
Sarah from United States
Comment 43 of 56, added on April 7th, 2006 at 9:18 AM.
I think that people are analyzing this poem too much. I don't think that it is about an abusive father rather a playful and loving father. I really love the third stanza, 'The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.' This gave me the impression that the father was a hard worker. Some sort of laborer, maybe he worked on the dock's or building bridges (I get the feeling that this poem takes place in the great depressin.) This poem is being said through the eyes of a young boy; a small boy, maybe even a boy who is about as tall as his father's belt buckle! His father is not intentionally beating him or abusing him. The father is indeed somewhat drunk, we can understand that from the first line, therefore he is going to be a little sloppy. The father and son are just having a good time, dancing and laughing. The little boy notices that his fathers knuckles are battered. And every time his father would 'miss a step', lose count of his waltz, the boy's ear would scrape up against his belt buckle. I don't see this poem as abuse at all.
Maria from United States
Comment 42 of 56, added on March 20th, 2006 at 5:52 PM.
I think this is a reall good poem and frankly i don't really like poetry. I am doing a poetry analysis of this for school and this is kinda wut i came up with. I think the waltz is a symbol for his life, and where it says "at every step he missed....." i think that when the father does something not so good that the little boy(or girl) pays for it. It's word choice plays a big role in this poem, he uses romp as a more playful term but then the imagery is ruff ie. "hand caked with dirt" and "beat time on my head", this suggest that the father is abusive and the lines "my mothers frown".... shows rthat she diaproves but can't do anything about it. At the end we see that th boy truly loves his father by clinging on his shirt.
Jen from Canada
Comment 41 of 56, added on March 18th, 2006 at 8:44 PM.
I believe this poem is intersting. I was wondering if someone can help me relate this poem to Roethke's real life experiences? I'm doing it for my english project. If you can relate other poems of Roethke's to his life that would be great. Just let me know. Thanks!
Isabel from United States
Comment 40 of 56, added on March 16th, 2006 at 10:47 AM.
Teachers: This a great poem to use at the beginning of a unit on poetry! The class is always divided on what exactly is going on and it provokes lively discussion. It's a great way to introduce the ideas of diction and imagery.
Wendy from United States
Comment 39 of 56, added on February 1st, 2006 at 9:51 AM.
it all depends on how you see life. if you think of violence then of course you'll think this poem is about abuse but if you think pleasent then you'll juss see a father and son playing. but i see both a father loving his son and playing but hurting him at the same time. its very confusing!
erin
erin from United States
Comment 38 of 56, added on December 24th, 2005 at 1:59 AM.
In all the comments on this poem that I have read here, nobody has mentioned the recurring image of the HANDS of the father: "the hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle"; "a palm caked hard by dirt".
It's common knowledge that an abused child will often draw pictures of men with huge hands. The child is obviously obsessed with his father's hands. I see this poem as a written version of an abused child's drawing. We also have the words "belt", "beat time", "battered", "the hand that held my wrist", all of which connote violence and abuse towards the child.
We even have the passive mother, standing and watching helplessly as her husband and son "waltz", too afraid of the father to intervene, afraid it's her turn next? I agree that there is a playful, very loving tone which counterbalances this undertone of violence: "romped,"
"still clinging to your shirt", the use of the affectionate term "papa." However, I see this poem as a memory of a child who loves his father, wants his father's attention desperately, and is ready to take it whenever and however it is given. The father may well be simply be roughhousing with his little boy here in this particular instance, and the physical and emotional pain the boy is experiencing is because the father is too drunk and too out of control to realize that he's hurting his son. But I see the violent, dark words as his subconscious filtering through the wishful thinking and idealization of his father and their relationship. Who doesn't repress memories that are too painful to deal with?
maxine from Israel
Comment 37 of 56, added on December 9th, 2005 at 10:29 AM.
Although I am a little confused how the author felt about his father, I like "My Papa's
Waltz" very much. My first impression of the poem is that is flows easily from the tongue.
To me, how smooth a poem sounds when read aloud, is very important. This poem is so
nicely done, in such a matter, that the rhythm is impeccable. What the author is trying to
convey in the poem's meaning is confusing. In the first stanza, when the boy says he
held on "like death," I feel a small sense of fear towards his drunken father. But the last
line, "Still clinging to your shirt," causes me to contradict this fear. I believe the young
boy loved everything about his father except his drunkeness'. I think the boy had mixed
feelings about the "waltzing," but at the end of each night when his father put him to bed,
he still loved him very much. I believe this is the overall message the poem is trying to
express.
Josh Weber from United States
This poem has been commented on more than 10 times. Click below to see the other comments.
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in my opinion the view point of this child makes it easy to belive that this child could be a girl. It makes much more sense to believe that a girl would waltz around with her dad. When i first read it i thought it was about abuse but if you re-read it you can see how it would be more of a playful
Andrew Hall from United States