Paper Summary:

This paper studies the lines of the poem, "My Papa's Waltz" and compares them to his own life experiences. The writer asserts although many people consider this poem about child abuse, comparing his own personal relationship with his father reminds him that the words of this poem do not necessarily point to abuse.

From the Paper:

"Most people reading the poem, "My Papa's Waltz," by Theodore Roethke will automatically assume that the poem is about an abusive father. Connotations used in the poem can lead to this assumption, such as the line that says, "The whiskey on your breath" points toward a father who is drunk. The poem is told by the point of view of a son. Using comparisons in my life with the poem will show that the father was not abusive, the mother was jealous, and that the father and son had a special bond. While many people believe this poem by Roethke is about an abusive father, using my own life experiences I can show that the father was not abusive."

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