2. "My Papa's Waltz," p. 691: in a comment on this post, say "statement (a) is true/false because . . ." Briefly give one reason and one supporting quotation from the poem. Don't repeat someone else's reason.
(a) T or F: this poems is about happiness.
(b) T or F: the sound of the poem matters. Sound could refer to rhythm, rhyme, or other.
(c) To or F: the imagery in this poem makes for a multi-sensory experience.
This poem does not sound like a happy poem at all because it sounds like it touches on the subject of abuse. For instance with the line “the hand that held my wrist/ was battered on one knuckle” this line shows how someone could be so physically abused and the pain that the narrator goes through.
ReplyDeleteStatement (a) is true. In the poem, the narrator talks how hard waltzing with his/her papa. Even the narrator looks like he/she has some sort of fear towards the father. However, despite papa’s whiskey breath, his buckle scraped narrator’s right ear, and he beats time on the narrator’s head, the narrator didn’t take off his/her hands from the papa’s shirt. For example, from line 3 ‘But I hung on like death’, we can assume that how the narrator wanted to cling to the papa and didn’t want to spoil papa’s pleasure. Since the narrator loves the papa a lot and felt happy when he/she sees his happiness, he/she could endure that waltzing, although there are many difficulties.
ReplyDeleteStatement (C) is true. There are several points in the poem where the author uses sensory details to get a point across, such as, "The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy". By using the sense of smell, the author describes that the father is a drunk. The language that is used is non-obvious, which makes the poem seem more eloquent and graceful in terms of language.
ReplyDeletefeel like the line, "The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy;" really touches home with the idea of an alcoholic family member and abuse. I would have to say that Statement A, is false.
ReplyDeleteStatement A is true because the father is just happy to spend a few moments with his son before his bedtime. The reader can tell how important this is in the lines "You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt," because the father has not even cleaned up from his job yet. The short time spent with his son seems precious to him.
ReplyDeleteStament A is true. The poem is describing about a father who is unused to express his love to his son. The tone of this whole poem seems like not really close to happiness. Words that are used in this poem are pretty rough. But, as Katie said, the last stanza is describing the feature of the father with his son in bed time. We could recognize his love to his son and how valuable the son is for the father. Also, we could recognize the son’s love to his father. It said “Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt.” It tells us that how much the son loves his father and he loves to spend time with his father.
ReplyDeleteB) The sound in this poem doesn’t seem to matter because the sound seems heavy and dark, but if you read the sentences carefully and understand the syntax, the subject of the poem is about a playful bond between a father and son. An example is, “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf; my mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself.” The deconnotation of “romped” is to play or frolic in a lively or boisterous manner. Also, they would play until they created a mess, and the mother seemed displeased but was a bystander and watched them have fun. Also, when the speaker says, “Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt.” “Waltz” is not an eerie or dark word, it usually represents happiness; “Still clinging to your shirt,” implies that the kid doesn’t want to leave his father and to keep playing.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is true that sound is important in this poem. "But I hung on like death" shows that the waltz is a little out of control and yet the steady rhythm of the poem is the author's way of trying to take charge of the situation. The rhythm counteracts the drunk frantic waltz and shows the author's need to control and take care of his father.
ReplyDeleteKatie Taylor
I have read!
ReplyDeleteKatie Burch
Statement B is true. It is the rhyme that helps convey a notion. The masculine rhyme in a ABAB pattern gives the poem a specific flow that I can easily compare to a dance. The title of the poem is "My Papa's Waltz" and the actual phrases feel like they're waltzing.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that statement A is false. This poem is not about happiness, it is about a little boy who clings to his father despite his abusive behavior. "you beat time on my head/with a palm caked hard by dirt/then waltzed me off to bed/still clinging to your shirt" Though the fathers hands are dirty and hes literally beating away the time of his relationship with his son, his son still waltzes off to bed with him. this poem is about despair and confusion, not happiness.
ReplyDeleteBRONWYN'S INTERNET WON'T WORK SO THIS IS HER POST :)
ReplyDeleteI think statement C is true because it appeals to my sense of smell ("the whiskey on your breath"), of touch ("The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle"), and of sight ("a palm caked hard by dirt.")
Statement (C) is true. The imagery in this poem is very vivid, and we all know the more vivid the imagery, the more the images provoke our senses. The very opening line, "The whiskey on your breath," indicates the nose. "But I hung on like death" indicates the eyes, "the hand that held my wrist" indicates feeling.
ReplyDeleteStatement B is true. The poem is very rhythmic; there are only five lines with 7 syllables in them. The rest have six. The second stanza is especially strict to an iambic rhythm. Though the other stanzas may have a few 7 syllable lines, it creates a very inviting tone and easy beat. The most important line I see is, "With a palm caked by dirt." Both "with" and "a" are typically said unstressed so they break this flowing pattern established throughout the pattern. Perhaps the poet is trying to tell us something specifically about this image.
ReplyDeleteI believe statement A is false. "But I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy." I believe the waltz they have is their relationship between each other. The boy explains that their relationship is hard. I believe the only reason he hangs onto his father is because he is afraid of him, but still wants to maintain a relationship. This is not a happy poem because it has an uneasy relationship between a boy and an alcoholic father.
ReplyDeleteI have read.
ReplyDeleteA) False
ReplyDeleteThis poem is not about happiness. I feel the poem has an underlying current of anxiety, and fear. It communicates an abusive relationship between father, and son. From the first stanza describing " the whisky" on his fathers breath, to the last stanza describing how his father "beat time" on his head. It could be deceiving, but each of these statements have negative connotations of abuse, and mistreatment.
Statement (a) is false: The poem is about a father physically abusing a child through a beautiful dance called the waltz. "Every step you missed, the Father falling about himself trying to dance with the boy, who is appalled at him and im sure frightened. The boy can smell the fathers breath which could kill him, but he hangs on, "Could make a small boy dizzy".
ReplyDeleteI feel that statement A is true. In Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" the speaker is a boy who tells of the things, good or bad that make up his father: whiskey on his breath, battered knuckles, dirty hands. Although we cannot tell whether or not the boy may consider these good things, the boy knows it is what makes up his father whom he loves and so he then accepts these qualities and loves them, which to me is a very happy situation :)
ReplyDelete