The Poem 'This Is Just To Say'
The plum, in the poem, “This Is Just To Say” is a direct symbol of temptation. He is extremely aware of what the action he is completing entails. He knows that in some way he is sinning which can be directly compared to Adam and Eve. This display of sin allows for the poem to serve a greater community; representing the downfall of mankind. The author alludes to Adam and Eve throughout this poem, as they were told not to eat the forbidden fruit yet chose to do so anyways. The anonymous nature of the speaker aligns with the biblical fact that Adam and Eve have no identity outside of the sins because they have no history. The symbolism within the two stories coincide so that all can relate to such simple poem, whose basic structure aligns with the emotional capacity of humanity that began with Adam and Eve.
In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, the daughter realizes this relationship between her and her father is one which she should not indulge in, still, she craves his love and attention. As a child, parental affection is craved even if it is dispersed in such desolate amounts that it is fantasized and dramatized into unobtainable standards given the situation at hand. This kind of starvation for love is present in this poem.
…show more content…
This physical foot movement is backed by a metaphorical one as well. When dealing with Temptation everything appears to be moving at an increased pace, however there is a moment of clarity where the participant realizes that what they are doing is wrong. The dance, nonetheless, continues on and begins a new cycle. The fact that the girl in this poem is so young also gives notion to the fact that this is a cycle which begins at a young age and has no intention of stopping. Furthermore, the continuation of a waltz is determined by the continuation of the music rather than the dancers which goes to show the active nature of the Waltz as a symbol for
Why Does Theodore Roethke Use Ambiguous Language
119 Words | 1 PagesIn “My Papa’s Waltz,” poet Theodore Roethke uses sensory details and ambiguous language to persuade both the boy and the reader that the boy still loves his father, despite him being an alcoholic. On the third sentence of the first stanza, Roethke uses ambiguous language by stating: “But I hung on like death. Such waltzing was not easy.” Although this plainly means that the boy was holding onto his father without ease, it can be interpreted in another way; the boy still loves his father, even though it is hard to love him with his alcoholism at times, and the boy still loves his father very much. The boy is reflecting on this idea while waltzing with his
My Papas Waltz Analysis
657 Words | 3 PagesThe imagery of “My Papas Waltz” can clearly be understood as a father waltzing with his son in the kitchen, tapping the beat too his son’s head, and his ear scraping his buckle against his child’s ear. The poem is playful when the poem says, “At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle” (Roethke lines 11-12).
Domestic Violence In My Papa Waltz
475 Words | 2 PagesThe poem My Papa Waltz by the title sounds like it could be sweet and loving. The poem is actually very dark in my opinion. In the poem the father is drunk, stumbling and hurting the boy. Even though they could just be having a good time, running around, and the father could also be trying to teach the boy to grow up, I believe that the poem is about a boy being abused by his father. Because he also states that the father is so drunk that his breath could get a small boy drunk.
My Papa's Waltz Analysis Essay
1237 Words | 5 PagesAlthough one may misinterpret the first paragraph, “the whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy” (Line 1- 4), it means that, despite the fact that the father was slightly drunk, he was capable of waltzing with his son, albeit clumsily. He was excitedly frolicking with his son and certainly not pummeling him as some readers may think. Lines in the second stanza, “we romped until the pans, slid from the kitchen shelf; my mother’s countenance, could not unfrown itself” (Line 5-8), suggests that the child was clearly enthusiastic about the waltz only to the penitence of his concerned mother. To further suggest that the poem is written as a warm nostalgic memory, the author employs a waltzing tune and
Comparing Poems My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
691 Words | 3 PagesOne symbol in “My Papa’s Waltz” would be the dancing in general. We can easily see that the boy is having a hard time doing that dance. “My right ear scraped a buckle” (line 12). “You beat time on my head” (line 13). Although the dance was difficult for the boy, he still hung on to his father.
My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis
871 Words | 4 PagesThe father/son relationship are shown in both poems. Both are adults reflecting on their past. “My Papa’s Waltz” is about how the father would dance daily with the son. Although it was painful when he sometimes missed a step and his “right ear scraped a buckle”, this was a memorable memory for the son (Line 8). The poem has a happy tone of the sons childhood days.
Connotation In My Papa's Waltz
902 Words | 4 PagesAnother example of this, in the last stanza, lines 15-16, is made as Roethke notes “[t]hen waltzed me off to bed/[s]till clinging to your shirt.” The last lines of the poem show the true relationship at the end of all the confusion lost in the midst of the middle of the poem. The father loves his son and waltzes him to bed and the boy, loving his father, slings to his shirt to stay with him. The poem expresses the confusion and complexity created in a relationship such as this one between father and son, but at the end, the confusion is unnecessary and what prevails is not the negatives, but instead the positive aspect of
Harrison Bergeron Analysis
1002 Words | 5 PagesThis dance is supposed to be beautiful to show everyone how wonderful differences could be. The style in which the story is written changes in this passage by showing a lovely, beautiful scene than the usually harsh tones. Question Four :
Compare And Contrast Sylvia Plath And My Papa's Waltz
846 Words | 4 PagesIn Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”, the speaker seems to be an adult reminiscing his childhood through a metaphor of a dance. The poem suggests that the boy was abused and the mother stood by without doing much about it. Three topics that
Figurative Language In My Papa's Waltz
588 Words | 3 PagesAs the reader nears the end of the first quatrain there is a turn of events. For example, in the first quatrain the poet uses negative toned vocabulary: “But I hung on like death: / Such waltzing was not easy” (Roethke, 3-4). Specifically, the word ‘death’ sticks out because dancing is supposed to be fun not scary. Additionally, the poet has, once again,
Analysis Of My Papas Waltz By Theodore Roethke
764 Words | 4 PagesIn the final analysis, most readers of this poem tend to deduce a dark theme of physical violence due to its tone, word choice and imagery. Nonetherless, Roethke balances positive and negative tones of the poem to give it a rich and ambiguous quality. The exceeding tendency to paint the picture of child abuse deprives it, of this quality. “My Papa’s Waltz,” illustrates a special and powerful moment, shared between a father and a son through a waltz.
What Is The Theme Of Violence In 'My Papa's Waltz'
664 Words | 3 PagesIn the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke illustrates the complex relationship between a little boy and his father by juxtaposing images of love and violence through word choices that portray feelings of fear yet affection for his father. Roethke’s shifting tone encompasses distress and a sense admiration that suggests the complexities of violence both physically and emotionally for the undercurrents of his father and son relationship. The poem begins with a series of negative images, each of which are considered violent and undesirable in a family. For example, “The whiskey on your breath” suggests alcoholism, and “Could make a small boy dizzy” emphasizes that a boy is suffering from the effects of the alcoholic parent.
Imagery In My Papa's Waltz
898 Words | 4 PagesTheodore Roethke’s, “My Papa’s Waltz,” uses a great deal of imagery by using the metaphor of the word “Waltz.” A Waltz is a dance that has a step to every beat of the music, while in close proximities to the other dancer, there is not much change and it is in fact quite repetitive. Already we begin to form an image Roethke is trying to provide us by saying “My Papa’s Waltz.” His usage of the word “Papa” is quite informal compared to the word, “father.” It is only upon reading and analyzing the rest of the poem that we realize the struggle tied to the word.
What Is The Tone Of My Papa's Waltz
531 Words | 3 PagesIn this poem all the son sees is battered knuckles on his father with “palms caked hard by dirt.” This paints a description of an abusive father that does not love his son because if he did love his son he would not hurt him. The father is first introduced with “whiskey on his breath” (line 1) which can be inferred that he is an alcoholic and this creates a negative image that the reader can see and even smell. The son though seems to notice all this, but still seems to love his father and admire him. The waltz represents a repetitive step and in the poem the waltz is his father’s constant abuse and interrupts the sweet idealistic dance.
The Word Plum Analysis
833 Words | 4 PagesThis poem doesn 't rhyme; however, it is pleasing to the senses. One literary element it uses is onomatopoeia; this allows the reader to “hear” the sounds in the poem to tell a story. The sounds of the plum in this poem allows the reader to experience the eating of a plum in his mind while he reads it. Words such as “pout and push...savory murmur...pierced, bitten” are
More about The Poem 'This Is Just To Say'
Why Does Theodore Roethke Use Ambiguous Language
119 Words | 1 PagesMy Papas Waltz Analysis
657 Words | 3 PagesDomestic Violence In My Papa Waltz
475 Words | 2 PagesMy Papa's Waltz Analysis Essay
1237 Words | 5 PagesComparing Poems My Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays
691 Words | 3 PagesMy Papa's Waltz And Those Winter Sundays Analysis
871 Words | 4 PagesConnotation In My Papa's Waltz
902 Words | 4 PagesHarrison Bergeron Analysis
1002 Words | 5 PagesCompare And Contrast Sylvia Plath And My Papa's Waltz
846 Words | 4 PagesFigurative Language In My Papa's Waltz
588 Words | 3 PagesAnalysis Of My Papas Waltz By Theodore Roethke
764 Words | 4 PagesWhat Is The Theme Of Violence In 'My Papa's Waltz'
664 Words | 3 PagesImagery In My Papa's Waltz
898 Words | 4 PagesWhat Is The Tone Of My Papa's Waltz
531 Words | 3 PagesThe Word Plum Analysis
833 Words | 4 Pages