This poem, written by Theodore Roethke, is a piece that really left me confused after we finished reading it in class. Roethke uses effective diction which leaves the audience confused about what the poem is actually about. The two most common beliefs about what is occurring in the poem is that the child is literally waltzing playfully with his father, they are simply roughhousing with each other. The other is that this is actually about an act of abuse between the father and son that is described as if it were a waltz.
I still can not really decide which I think the story is truly about, but I have been leaning more toward the waltz being a description of an act of abuse between a father and son. I believe this because of the type of language used in this poem. For example, the narrator states that his father "beat time on his head" which I believe to mean that the father was actually hitting his child in a forceful manner, not in a playful way. Roethke also uses the phrase "hung on like death," to describe the way that the child is holding on to his father when they are "waltzing." Holding on like death, in my opinion, describes the childs terror, in this situation, and he is holding on to his father trying not to be beaten.
While I still have a hard time understanding this poem, I did enjoy it. It was probably my favorite poem that we had read in class because it has a way with words that leaves everyone with a different opinion, even the similar ones vary in someway or another. In conclusion, I really like this poem, and would recommend it to people who have not read it. I know that was a very bad conclusion but..... I can't really think of anything else to write.
I have to agree with you douglas. I too was very confused when i first read this poem. I could not decide if the story was about an act of abuse to the child simply waltzing playfully with his fahter. There are vaild arugments one can make to support both thoughts. I myself still cannot fully decide which would be the most vaild arugment. I find myself thinking it is just about a playful waltz however then i find bits of information that allow me to think otherwise. I personally enjoyed this poem as well. I think it was one of the best poems we had read in class this year because there is no vaild right or wrong answer as to what the poem is about. The poem is thought provoking and allows the reader to think outside the guidlines of the poem.
ReplyDeleteKenzie Butt