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My Papa's Waltz
820
Transcript
Figurative Language
- Apostrophe throughout
- Definition: addressing someone who isn't present.
- talking to the father as if he were there, but also as if recalling the memory alone
- "But I hung on like death"
- simile adds irony
- if abusive, death could be an outcome
- "You beat time on my head"
- beat has strong connotation- does the child view it as part of the "dance"?
- beating time can be viewed as abuse or part of the fun
- "My mother's countenance / Could not unfrown itself"
- personification creates idea that frowning is a large part of the mother's being
- perhaps unhappy in marriage or simply concerned about accidental injuries
My Papa's Waltz
By Theodore Roethke
Thesis
- A child's innocence is often immune to harsh reality
- Theodore Roethke employs apostrophe, personification and ironic similes in order to convey the concept of childhood innocence and unconditional love to his audience.
Initial Reactions
- One Impression:
- abusive father
- inflicting physical abuse on son
- mother is helpless
- Opposite:
- simply a doting father having fun
- normal "roughhousing" between father and son
- any pain inflicted isn't intentional
- Completely Literal:
- drunken father attempting to teach his son how to waltz
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