Discuss the poem and literary devices in "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke underscores the
domination that a father has over a child.  What should be a fun way to end the day
becomes a horrific experience for the little boy forced to dance with his drunken
father.  All of the signs point to a family that is
dysfunctional.

Narration and
Setting

The narration of the poem is first
person point of view with the young boy narrating the poem.  The setting is the family
kitchen late in the evening because it is past the boy’s bed
time.   

Form

This
poem consists of four quatrains.  It follows a set pattern with every other line
rhyming.

Summary

The
poem begins with the young boy waltzing with his father.  With the combination of the
nauseating smell of the father and the spinning around, the boy is dizzy.  The boy is
holding on for dear life because this dance is not
easy. 

As they romp around, it is so unruly that the pots
and pans fall off the shelves onto the floor. The mother is watching with a frowning
expression.

The father held the boy’s wrist.  It seems
strange that the father would hold onto his wrist rather that the boy’s hand. The
father’s hand was bruised on his knuckle.  Obviously, he has hit his hand or has been in
a fight.  Every step of the dance causes the boy’s right ear to be scraped by the
father’s belt buckle.

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The hand that held my wrist               
 
Was battered on one knuckle;                     
At every step
you missed                      
My right ear scraped a
buckle.   

This dance is not
the fun dance that a father might have with his little boy.  The mother does not
interfere.  It is apparent that she is unhappy with the circumstances but is afraid to
help the boy for fear that she may receive some of the abuse as
well.

As the father and son continue to dance, the father
beats the time to the dance on the top of the boy’s head.  His hand is dirty and hard. 
Basically, he is hitting the boy on the head with his hand.  Finally, he danced him off
to the bed still grasping on to the father’s
shirt.

Alliteration

The
poet uses alliteration to depict the various sounds and movements of the
poem.

Waltzing was; countenance/could; hand that
held;

Irony

Irony
persists throughout the poem.  A waltz seems like a fun time between the father and
son.  The whiskey, the smell, the dizziness—all of these do not make for the pleasant
diversion.  Nothing in the poem seems to be quite right for the child.  Everything seems
out of kilter despite the initial reaction to the name of the poem and the sound of the
waltz.

The name of the poem is ironic in itself.  It is not
the boy’s waltz, but rather the father’s waltz.  It is a time to spin and act foolish in
his drunkenness. 

Simile and
Metaphor

There is one simile in the poem. 
“But I hung on for life…” The first indication in the poem of the unpleasantness of the
dance shows the boy not happily dancing around with his father; but rather, he has to
hang on to keep from being hurt.

The metaphor is extended
throughout the poem.  It is the waltz that represents the dysfunctional family.  The
domination of the father and his drinking make the family unable to have a pleasant time
of dancing around and possibly including the mother in the fun experience.  Instead the
boy has to undergo the wild romp and the mother observes without the ability to put an
end to it.