ENGL 2027 Chapter : Theodore Roethke - My Papa's Waltz
Document Summary
Comment [d1]: subject: the speaker is in his. 70s looking back on his youth when he willing endured his father"s love in forms such as his waltz. The poet was emotionally shattered by his father"s death by heart attack when the poet was fifteen. The theme of this poem could be that unconditional love prevails even in the most complex of relationships. Sociological criticism: to gen x"ers and their children, the poem is a disturbing treatment of alcoholism and child abuse. To baby boomers and the earlier silent generation, it carries hints and suggestions of pain, but most often it is viewed as a pleasant description of a father cavorting with his small son. The mother who only frowns and does not attempt to halt the dance or protest her husband"s alcohol consumption would today be spoken of as. Codependent or as an enabler and the family.
