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My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roetheke

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Theodore Roetheke’s poem, My Papa's Waltz, is one of Roetheke’s best poems he has ever written according to sources. While reading this poem, I had a sense of shock. This poem could be taken in so many different ways, which all depends on your perspective and you, of course, as an individual. At first, I had a sense of the father beating his child, which is told in a way of a beautiful dance, which is The Waltz. The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple time which is usually performed primarily in a closed position. A couple of lines had stood out to me the most as to why I first thought the father was abusing the child.

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